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FROM 

VERMONT  TO  DAMASCUS 


RETURNING    BY    WAY    OF 


BEYROUT,    SMYRNA,     EPHESUS,    ATHENS,    CONSTAN- 
*      TINOPLE,    BUDAPEST,    VIENNA,    PARIS, 
SCOTLAND,   AND    ENGLAND 


BY 

ADNA    BROWN 


mt/i  sixteen  illustrations.     Also,  instructions  how  to  prepare 
for  such  a  journey 


BOSTON 
Geo.  H.  Ellis,  Printer,  141  Franklin  St. 

1895 


copyright 

By  Adna  Brown 

1895 


PREFACE. 


The  urgent  desires  of  the  friends  of  the  author  of 
this  volume  that  his  Oriental  letters  should  be  com- 
piled and  put  in  book  form  prompted  him  to  issue  a 
work  entitled  '*  From  Vermont  to  Damascus,"  taking 
the  reader  through  the  Oriental  land,  giving  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  country,  scenes,  and  people  as  he  saw 
them  from  day  to  day,  which  was  the  richest  experi- 
ence of  his  life.  Much  has  been  added  to  these  let- 
ters with  illustrations, —  directions  for  preparations 
for  such  a  journey,  value  of  the  currency  of  different 
countries,  etc., —  making  the  book  a  valuable  one  for 
persons  intending  to  travel  in  a  foreign  land. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS, 


PAGE 

On  the  Way  to  Naples 3 

Letters  from  Italy 10 

Letters  from  Egypt 27 

Letters  from  the  Holy  Land 66 

Letter  from  Greece 138 

Letter  from  Constantinople 148 

From  Constantinople  to  Paris 160 

Paris  to  Scotland 173 

Scotland  to  America 189 

Useful  Hints  for  Travellers 203 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FACBS 
PAGB 

Two  Vermont  Ladies,  Frontispiece 

Falls  of  Tivoli 23 

Ploughing  in  Egypt       29 

Hasham,  our  Dragoman ^iZ 

Drawing  Water  on  the  Nile 39 

Sheik  El  Sadath 62 

Water  Bottles  and  P'ilters  of  Egypt 64 

Son  of  a  Sheik 74 

Crossing  the  Jordan 78 

The  Jews'  Wailing-place       89 

Bedouins  with  their  Harps 103 

Veiled  Women 109 

Acropolis  at  Athens 139 

Turkish  Ladies 153 

Mosque  of  the  Sultan .     .  158 

One  of  the  "Beef-eaters" 197 


FROM  VERMONT  TO   DAMASCUS. 


The  bleak,  rugged  winter  of  1895  in  Vermont, 
when  Jack  Frost  held  nightly  carnivals  and  mercury 
was  found  in  the  lower  regions,  the  snow  was  scurry- 
ing from  hill-top  to  vale  to  find  a  resting  place, —  such 
environments  caused  the  author  of  this  little  volume 
to  dream  of  fairer  skies  and  warmer  climes.  Sunny 
Italy,  with  her  groves  of  orange  and  lemon  trees,  her 
gardens  filled  with  fruit,  her  gladioli  and  lilies  leading 
the  flowery  kingdom,  was  a  drawing  card  to  a  Ver- 
monter  in  the  short  days  of  January.  Such  a  picture 
caused  me  to  decide  to  leave  old  Vermont  for  the 
winter,  spending  my  days  farther  south,  until  she  had 
put  on  her  summer  garments,  when  she  would  be- 
come the  loveliest  spot  on  earth.  About  this  time 
the  clarion  trumpet  of  Dr.  A.  E.  Dunning,  of  the 
Congregationalist,  was  heard  through  the  land,  call- 
ing for  fair  women  and  brave  men  to  join  him  in  his 
Oriental  tour.  His  itinerary  through  Italy,  Egypt, 
and  the  Holy  Land  was  an  attractive  one  ;  and  the  die 
in  my  case  was  soon  cast.  Believing  it  to  be  an  un- 
wise thing  for  a  married  man  to  take  such  a  journey 
without  his  wife,  wisdom  had  its  way.  The  party 
was  made  up  from  eleven  different  States.  Miss 
Daniels,  a  charming  young  lady  from  Grafton,  and 
the  two  members  from  Springfield,  were  the  only 
representatives  from  Vermont.     The  number  of  our 


2  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

party  to  leave  New  York  was,  like  Paul's  chastise- 
ments, forty  save  one  ;  and  tKey  were  to  be  under 
the  guiding  care  of  "  Henry  Gaze  &  Sons,"  of  Lon- 
don. The  first  essential  step  was  to  procure  tickets, 
passports,  letters  of  credit,  suitable  clothing,  pluck, 
courage,  and  a  determination  to  have  a  good  time. 

February  14th  found  us  on  board  an  express  train, 
wending  our  way  down  the  Connecticut  Valley, 
stopping  for  a  night  at  Hartford  with  friends,  and 
reaching  New  York  the  15th.  That  afternoon  we 
attended  a  reception  at  the  St.  Denis  Hotel,  given 
by  Dr.  Dunning,  where  we  were  to  meet  those  of 
the  Oriental  party  that  we  had  never  met  before, 
but  were  hoping  for  pleasant  friendships  with  in  the 
future. 

Introductions,  hand-shaking,  coffee,  and  viands 
were  the  order  of  the  afternoon ;  and  every  one 
seemed  pleased  with  the  other  fellow,  and  the  ver- 
dict was  that  the  doctor  had  shown  wisdom  in 
making  up  his  party  for  the  Holy  Land. 

February  i6th  found  us  on  board  the  "Norman- 
nia,"  and  baggage  nicely  stowed  away.  Many 
friends  of  the  Oriental  party  were  on  board  with 
good  wishes  for  a  successful  journey.  Occasionally 
we  saw  a  tear,  but  smiles  predominated. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  whistle  blew  for  all  those 
not  intending  to  sail  to  leave  the  boat.  The  gang- 
plank was  drawn  in  ;  and  the  *'  Normannia  "  weighed 
anchor,  slowly  swung  her  prow  down  the  North 
River,  and  a  journey  of  some  eighteen  thousand 
miles  began. 


ON   THE    WAY   TO    NAPLES. 

My  friends  in  Springfield  who  have  never  been 
down  to  the  sea,  or  crossed  the  big  waters,  perhaps 
have  but  little  idea  of  the  skippers  that  take  people 
across  from  the  New  to  the  Old  World  and  vice  versa. 
To  give  you  the  length  in  feet  of  the  "  Normannia  " 
would  convey  but  little ;  but,  when  I  refer  you  to  the 
Adnabrown  Hotel,  which  is  a  long  building  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  tell  you  to  place  three  of 
them  in  line,  and  then  add  seventy  feet,  you  would 
have  the  length  of  our  beautiful  steamer.  It  is  two 
stories  high  besides  the  attic,  with  a  cellar  two 
stories  deep,  and  is  a  regular  floating  palace.  Few 
hotels  in  the  country  are  fitted  up  as  nicely.  Her 
engines  have  sixteen  thousand  horse-power,  several 
times  the  power  of  all  the  motor  wheels  in  Black 
River  at  Springfield.  She  has  nine  boilers  ;  and, 
when  they  run  her  full  speed,  it  takes  three  hun- 
dred tons  of  coal  every  twenty-four  hours. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeden  met  us  at  the  boat  when 
we  left  New  York,  and  presented  us  with  some  beau- 
tiful flowers.  It  did  us  as  much  good  as  medicine 
to  meet  our  old  pastor  and  wife.  Mr.  Weeden  is 
the  personification  of  a  true  gentleman. 

Our  party  are  all  together  in  the  dining-room, 
occupying  four  tables,  ten  at  each,  save  one  seat 
which  is  occupied  by  the  steamer  physician,  dressed 
in  uniform.  We  have  on  board  a  fine  German  band 
that  gives  us  a  large  quantity  of  splendid  music. 


4  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

We  sailed  Saturday,  the  i6th.  Sunday  we  had  re- 
ligious services.  Dr.  Horton,  of  Providence,  preached 
a  ringing  sermon  from  Exodus  xxxiii.  13.  At  this 
writing  we  have  been  on  the  way  one  week,  have 
encountered  no  gales,  but  have  found  the  ocean 
rather  rough,  and  have  had  many  sick.  Racks  have 
been  on  the  tables  most  of  the  time.  Mrs.  Brown 
and  myself  have  been  in  the  dining-room  and  on 
deck  every  day.  Our  captain  is  polite.  He  found 
out  that  he  had  some  sight-seers  on  board.  So  he 
proposed  to  change  his  course  a  little,  and  take  us 
through  the  Azores,  which  was  quite  a  treat.  We 
could,  with  our  field-glasses,  see  the  houses,  and 
fields  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  These  islands 
are  very  high,  some  of  them  running  up  seven  thou- 
sand feet.  They  belong  to  Portugal,  and  are  inhab- 
ited by  that  race  ;  and  the  islands  are  said  to  be  large 
enough  to  support  three  hundred  thousand  people. 
They  raise  olives,  oranges,  pineapples,  figs,  etc. 
The  pineapples,  which  are  of  a  very  superior  qual- 
ity, are  raised  under  glass.  The  inside  is  free  from 
any  woody  substance  and  so  soft  it  can  be  eaten 
with  a  spoon.  They  command  high  prices,  selling 
for  three  or  four  dollars  each.  London  epicures  fill 
them  with  wine,  and  consider  them  a  great  luxury. 
The  government  sends  ships  to  them  about  once  in 
two  months,  to  receive  and  deliver  mail  and  sup- 
plies. Mists  and  fogs  from  the  ocean  keep  every- 
thing verdant. 

Our  ship  "Normannia"  is  officered  and  manned 
entirely  by  Germans.  They  are  very  polite  and 
attentive.     The  table  is  luxurious,  from  four  to  six 


O.V   THE    WAY   TO   NAPLES  5 

courses,  abundance  of  fruit,  apples,  pears,  oranges, 
pineapples,  grapes,  bananas,  etc.  But  the  poet  sings, 
•'  What  is  home  without  a  mother  ? "  So  many  of 
the  passengers  sing  here,  "  What  is  dinner  without 
an  appetite  ? " 

Saturday  Morning,  23d. 

Had  a  smooth  run  last  night,  but  have  just  met  a 
north-easter  this  morning  ;  and  it  looks  as  though  we 
shall  be  "rocked  in  the  cradle  of  the  deep"  for  the 
next  few  hours.  We  expect  to  reach  Gibraltar  to- 
morrow night,  where  this  letter  will  be  sent  ashore 
to  take  the  first  steamer  for  New  York.  We  shall 
reach  Naples  Wednesday  or  Thursday,  where  I  shall 
hope  to  write  you  again,  as  we  expect  to  spend  sev- 
eral days  looking  over  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Naples, 
and  get  our  feet  on  ''terra  cotta"  again,  as  the  man 
said,  which  we  shall  no  doubt  enjoy. 

Sunday  morning,  instead  of  one  of  the  band  giving 
the  trumpet  call  to  rise,  the  whole  band  played  a 
beautiful  church  hymn.  It  was  very  pleasant,  and 
showed  their  respect    for  the  day. 

Just  after  the  mail  was  closed  on  board  the 
"  Normannia,"  last  Sunday,  February  24,  and  my 
first  letter  to  you  was  ready  to  start  back  for 
New  York,  we  were  beginning  to  sail  up  into 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  It  was  a  beautiful  day, 
clear  and  balmy,  mercury  about  seventy  degrees. 
We  had  already  sighted  land  on  both  sides  of  the 
channel;  and,  if  you  will  take  a  seat  with  me  on  the 
upper  deck,  I  will  show  you  one  of  the  finest  pict- 


O  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

ures  anywhere  to  be  found, —  the  water  smooth  as 
glass,  and  the  "  Normannia "  gliding  through  the 
water  proudly  as  a  queen.  On  our  right  you  will 
see  the  coast  of  Africa,  with  rugged  hills  extending 
back,  to  all  appearances,  into  the  interior.  On  our 
left  is  the  coast  of  Spain,  with  less  rugged  appear- 
ance, and  I  should  say  the  much  more  desirable 
place  for  a  habitation.  We  continue  to  narrow 
the  channel  until  we  reach  the  stone  battlements. 
Some  two  miles  before  we  reach  this  point,  at  our 
left,  you  will  see  the  village  of  Trafalgar,  where  the 
great  naval  battle  was  fought  and  where  Nelson  lost 
his  life.  The  town  has  the  appearance  of  containing 
some  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants,  with  buildings 
painted  white,  having  a  very  neat  appearance.  The 
land  for  a  mile  or  more  up  the  channel  has  a  very 
peculiar  appearance,  looking  like  the  waves  of  the 
ocean  laid  up  at  an  angle  of  fifteen  degrees.  With 
our  glass  we  could  see  the  beautiful  green  fields, 
divided  into  lots,  with  green  hedge  fences.  All  the 
time  you  are  drinking  in  this  beautiful  picture  the 
grand  background  will  be  the  stone  battlements  of 
Gibraltar,  just  ahead  of  you,  extending  out  into  the 
channel.  We  reached  this  point  just  at  sunset, 
which  added  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  picture. 
Just  before  reaching  the  fort,  our  steamer  turns  to 
the  left  into  a  beautiful  bay  or  harbor,  where  we  find 
war  vessels  of  different  nations.  Saw  the  stars  and 
stripes.  The  war-ship  "Chicago"  was  anchored 
there.  The  Americans  on  board  the  ''Normannia" 
cheered  them  with  waving  of  pocket  handkerchiefs. 
They  returned  it,  and  their  band  played  one  of  our 


ON   THE    WAY   TO   NAPLES  7 

national  airs.  At  this  point  we  anchored ;  and 
small  boats  came  out,  and  took  mail,  telegrams,  pas- 
sengers, etc.  Many  of  our  party  went  ashore,  where 
you  find  Moors,  Turks,  and  Spaniards,  besides  the 
soldiers.  Selling  rum  and  tobacco  is  the  main  busi- 
ness, and  this  is  considered  a  wicked  town.  The 
streets  are  narrow  and  not  lighted,  houses  built  of 
stone  several  stories  high.  Back  of  the  town  is  a 
wooci  where  live  the  only  wild  monkeys  known  in 
Europe.  It  is  a  species  without  tails  and  one  pro- 
tected by  the  government.  Whether  this  is  because 
of  the  lack  of  this  appendage  I  did  not  learn,  but  it 
no  doubt  had  something  to  do  with  the  matter. 

Now,  as  you  stand  back  down  the  channel,  Gibraltar 
looks  like  a  big  Dutchman  with  a  cap  on,  standing 
as  sentinel,  guarding  the  traffic  from  ocean  to  the  sea. 
It  rises  fourteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  is  seven 
miles  in  circumference,  and  is  connected  with  the 
mainland  by  a  narrow  strip  of  flat  ground.  It  is 
composed  largely  of  limestone,  some  marble,  and 
was  naturally  full  of  caverns  and  cavities.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  England  has  honeycombed  it  through 
and  through  ;  and  no  one  but  the  British  war  de- 
partment and  the  soldiers  know  what  there  is  inside. 
There  are  five  thousand  soldiers  quartered  here,  and 
one  thousand  cannon.  England  spends  a  million  a 
year  running  this  Dutchman. 

It  was  about  1785  when  Spain  and  France  com- 
bined to  take  this  fortress  away  from  England,  and 
had  a  three  years'  siege,  but  had  to  give  it  up.  It  is 
said  to  be  the  strongest  and  most  important  fort  in 
the  world.     At  six  o'clock  there  was  a  cannon  fired. 


8  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

This  was  a  signal  for  every  stranger  to  go  outside 
the  walls  unless  he  had  a  permit  from  the  head 
officer. 

I  will  give  you  the  outlines  of  one  of  the  big  guns 
at  Gibraltar.  Length,  thirty-two  feet ;  size  of  bore, 
17.72  inches;  the  charge  is  five  feet  long;  weight  of 
powder,  four  hundred  fifty  pounds  ;  weight  of  ball, 
two  thousand  pounds ;  force  of  blow,  thirty-three 
thousand  tons ;  distance,  eight  miles ;  will  pierce 
twenty-five  inches  solid  iron.  This  gun  is  fired  only 
on  the  queen's  birthday  and  special  occasions,  at 
which  time  notice  is  given,  and  windows  are  raised 
in  all  the  buildings  to  prevent  the  breaking  of  glass. 

The  "  Normannia"  left  Gibraltar  7.30  Sunday  eve. 
We  had  a  smooth  sail,  and  slept  finely,  quite  differ- 
ent from  what  we  found  it  on  the  old  Atlantic. 


Monday  Morning. 

We  are  sailing  up  the  Mediterranean,  which  is 
lovely;  and  every  one  seems  to  be  gathering  up 
from  the  rough  voyage  of  last  week.  We  reached 
Algiers  about  7  p.m.,  sailing  up  past  Morocco.  Al- 
giers has  about  sixty  thousand  people,  is  controlled 
by  the  French.  About  sixteen  thousand  of  that 
nationality  were  taken  by  the  French  in  1830. 
They  have  a  large  Arab  settlement.  Then  there 
are  Moors,  Jews,  Buddhists,  etc.,  etc.  As  I  said, 
the  "  Normannia  "  reached  Algiers  at  seven  in  the 
evening,  and  was  to  leave  at  eleven.  The  town 
rises  from  the  coast  very  abruptly,  is  lighted  with 
gas,  and  looks  fine  from   the    boat.     Having  three 


ON   THE    WAY   TO   NAPLES  9 

hours  to  ourselves,  we  took  small  boats  that  the 
natives  were  running  in  the  bay,  and  went  ashore, 
then  took  carriages,  and  drove  through  the  town  two 
hours,  driving  through  the  Arab  district.  We  saw 
Oriental  life  in  full  bloom  ;  and  from  what  we  saw 
of  the  natives  we  soon  made  up  our  minds  they  were 
a  people  we  should  not  care  to  sleep  with,  and  were 
careful  to  be  back  on  the  "  Normannia  "  before  the 
hour  of  her  departure. 

Tuesday  morning,  bright  and  clear,  and  we  are 
still  sailing  up  the  Mediterranean,  water  smooth  as 
a  glassy  lake,  the  air  soft  and  balmy,  every  one 
happy.     Expect  to  reach  Naples  to-morrow  at  eleven. 

The  "  Normannia,"  which  showed  her  antics  on 
the  old  ocean,  striking  her  nose  into  those  big,  rolling 
waves,  throwing  the  water  over  her  deck  and  bows, 
sending  it  rushing  down  by  our  cabin  windows, 
seemed  to  have  sown  her  wild  oats  before  she  reached 
Gibraltar,  and  has  given  us  a  splendid  sail  through 
the  Mediterranean.  We  think  of  our  Springfield 
friends,  and  wish  we  could  treat  them  to  a  day's  sail 
on  this  beautiful  sea,  and  enjoy  the  balmy  air  of  a 
Vermont  June  day. 


LETTERS    FROM    ITALY. 
L 

Naples,  Feb.  27,  1895. 

We  arrived  at  this  place  to-day  at  eleven  o'clock 
A.M.,  at  which  time  you  were,  no  doubt,  rubbing  your 
eyes,  and  deciding  whether  you  would  turn  out  for  a 
day's  work  or  have  another  nap  before  doing  so,  as 
we  have  gained  six  hours  since  leaving  New  York, 
and  shall  probably,  for  the  present,  leave  Springfield 
time  in  the  shade. 

As  we  sailed  up  the  Bay  of  Naples,  we  saw  in  our 
front  a  beautiful  city  of  some  three  hundred  thou- 
sand people.  The  city  was  in  amphitheatre  style, 
lying  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  buildings  largely 
white,  from  one  to  six  stories  high,  nestling  among 
the  palms,  olives,  figs,  lemons,  orange,  and  pine 
trees,  and  a  great  variety  of  tropical  plants,  giving 
a  beautiful  contrast.  This,  encircling  the  bay,  gave 
us  a  picture  of  rare  beauty.  The  "  Normannia " 
anchored  in  the  bay,  and  small  steamers  came  and 
took  the  passengers  and  baggage  ashore.  Seem- 
ingly one-half  on  board  left  the  steamer  at  this 
place.  The  custom-house  officers  here  are  very 
strict,  but  the  Gaze  Company  had  made  arrange- 
ments to  let  us  through  without  a  very  rigid  exam- 
ination. Cigars,  tobacco,  and  liquors  are  what  they 
are  after;  and  our  crowd  were  pretty  well  played 
out  in  those  goods  before  we  reached  Naples.     Nine 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  1 1 

cigars,  or  what  they  call  a  day's  stock,  is  all  a  man 
can  bring  ashore  without  duty.  Naples  has  im- 
pressed me  as  a  charming  place.  It  is,  in  my  opinion, 
the  ''  Pasadena "  of  this  section  of  country.  Some 
Americans  may  desire  to  be  wedded  to  this  charming 
spot,  but  I  am  willing  to  admire  its  beauty  and  pass 
on.  America  is  good  enough  for  me.  The  customs 
are  exceedingly  funny  here,  and  no  doubt  will  appear 
so  all  our  journey  through.  Everything  in  the  way 
of  traffic  moves  slowly,  and  is  queerly  done.  You 
will  see  an  ox  and  a  cow  yoked  together,  next  a  cow 
and  a  horse  ;  and  then  will  come  along  a  horse,  cow, 
and  donkey,  all  attached  to  the  same  vehicle.  The 
little  donkeys  that  are  driven  in  the  two-wheel  carts 
would  set  young  America  in  Springfield  wild.  As  to 
horses,  they  go  from  the  ridiculous  to  the  sublime, 
from  the  poor  creatures  to  turnouts  that  will  match 
anything  in  Saratoga.  They  seem  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  trimming  and  ornamenting  their  harness, 
tugs,  breeching,  bridles  ;  and  every  conceivable  strap 
is  filled  with  brass  or  nickel  nails,  studs,  or  buckles. 
The  driving  of  the  pleasure  teams  is  like  Jehu, — • 
furiously. 

The  great  nuisance  of  the  country  is  beggars, 
hucksters,  and  hawkers.  The  beggars  will  beset 
you  while  walking  or  riding.  They  will  run  beside 
your  carriage  with  an  alertness  that  indicates  train- 
ing in  the  business. 

The  arrangement  for  delivering  milk  will,  no 
doubt,  interest  our  milkmen  in  Vermont.  The  cows 
are  driven  into  the  city  twice  a  day.  You  will  see 
a  man  with  one  or  more.     A  woman  will  come  out 


12  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

with  a  tumbler,  the  man  milks  it  full,  and  she  pays 
him  two  cents  for  it.  He  then  drives  on,  furnishing 
his  customers  with  any  quantity  desired.  Goat's 
milk  is  furnished  in  the  same  way.  You  will  see 
droves  of  from  ten  to  forty  of  them.  This  milk, 
they  claim,  is  for  the  children;  and  there  is  no  end 
to  their  number.  The  woods  are  full  of  children  here 
in  Naples.  These  goats  are  driven  mostly  on  the 
sidewalks,  and  have  equal  rights  with  the  pedestrians. 
The  teams  and  traffic  go  on  in  the  streets.  How- 
ever, they  have  one  advantage  over  us  :  they  need  no 
law  against  the  adulteration  of  milk. 

As  I  said  at  the  commencement  of  this  letter,  we 
reached  this  place  on  Wednesday,  the  27th,  about 
noon ;  and,  as  we  had  been  on  the  "  Normannia  " 
eleven  days,  we  took  our  lunch,  and  then  spent  the 
rest  of  the  afternoon  in  resting,  looking  among  the 
stores,  getting  our  bearings,  etc.  Thursday  at  8.30 
our  carriages  were  ready,  our  managers  on  hand  with 
all  their  plans  made,  and  we  took  a  drive  through 
the  city,  in  the  forenoon  going  through  the  mu- 
seum, said  to  be  one  of  the  most  wonderful  in  the 
world ;  that  is,  for  antiquity.  Here  we  found  the 
relics  from  Pompeii,  showing  plainly  there  were  art 
and  science  in  those  days.  One  thing  that  impressed 
me  was  a  hot-water  heater  for  warming  their  rooms, 
also  instruments  for  examining  the  stomach.  I  told 
Dr.  Dunning  we  ought  to  have  had  one  on  the 
steamer  during  the  rough  days  on  the  ocean.  Of 
ancient  glass,  statuary,  etc.,  there  was  no  end.  The 
kings  and  queens  of  ancient  days  were  there.  Our 
managers  through  their  efforts  had  secured  a  chance 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  13 

for  US  to  visit  the  royal  palace.  This  was  a  treat  of 
a  lifetime.  So,  after  leaving  the  museum,  we  went 
directly  there.  We  first  went  to  the  gardens  on  top 
of  buildings,  then  we  descended  and  commenced  the 
apartments,  and  I  should  say  we  went  through  some 
thirty  of  them,  —  the  theatre,  banquet-room,  chapel, 
banquet  hall,  common  dining-room,  office,  study  of 
the  king,  throne-room,  etc.  Such  splendor  I  had 
never  imagined  before.  The  wall  and  ceiling  were 
covered  with  the  richest  of  Gobelin  tapestry,  the 
finish  and  furniture  of  blue  and  gold,  and  white 
and  gold.  Our  eyes  were  dazzled  more  than  I  expect 
they  will  be  with  the  rays  of  the  Egyptian  sun. 
From  this  place  we  returned  to  our  Hotel  Royal, 
and  had  lunch.  Then  we  took  our  carriages  again, 
and  drove  through  the  orange  and  lemon  groves,  some 
eight  miles,  to  Puteoli,  where  Saint  Paul  landed  on 
his  way  to  Rome  as  a  prisoner.  (See  Acts  xxviii.  13.) 
From  this  place  he  struck  The  Three  Taverns,  where 
his  friends  met  him,  and  Paul  thanked  God,  and  took 
courage.  We  expect  to  go  to  Rome  to-morrow. 
Whether  we  shall  stop  at  The  Three  Taverns  or  not, 
I  cannot  say  to-day,  but  may  write  you  later.  On 
the  way  out  to  Puteoli  we  visited  the  tomb  of  Virgil. 
Had  a  full  and  delightful  day.  Friday  morning  we 
took  a  small  steamer,  and  had  one  and  a  half  hour's 
sail  across  the  Bay  of  Naples  to  Sorrento.  Sailed 
along  near  the  base  of  Mt.  Vesuvius,  and  could  al- 
most hear  the  boiling  and  hissing  of  the  elements 
within.  The  smoke  and  flames  can  be  plainly  seen 
from  our  hotel.  We  reached  Sorrento  before  lunch- 
time.     Stopped  at  Hotel  Victoria,  which  is  designed 


14  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

for  tourists  and  is  beautiful  in  all  its  arrangements, 
standing  upon  a  high  cliff  of  perpendicular  lime- 
rock.  You  can  stand  on  the  front  court  and  drop 
a  pebble  two  hundred  feet  into  the  Mediterranean 
Sea.  Sorrento  is  said  to  be  the  Mecca  for  tourists. 
You  have  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  in 
front  of  you,  and  the  mountains  wild,  yet  culti- 
vated and  beautiful,  behind  you.  They  are  made 
up  of  ravines  and  ridges,  terraced  and  fruit-bearing 
to  the  top,  where  you  see  the  vineyards.  Added  to 
that  are  the  lemon,  orange,  and  figs,  with  a  large 
abundance  of  olives,  the  peculiar  color  of  the  olive 
leaf  giving  the  landscape  a  soft,  velvety  appearance 
which  is  very  pleasing  to  the  eye.  The  roads  that 
have  been  built  by  the  government  around  and  about 
and  over  these  mountains  are  just  wonderful.  They 
are  macadamized  with  the  limestone,  which  is  broken 
up  by  hand  by  the  natives.  On  the  sides  heavy 
stone-faced  walls  beautifully  laid,  it  must  be  by 
skilled  hands.  After  lunch  we  took  a  ride  on  one 
of  these  roads  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  visiting 
an  institution  called  "  La  Deserta,"  home  for  orphan 
children.  The  managers  were  glad  to  see  us,  treated 
us  with  their  native  wine  and  oranges.  From  the 
top  of  this  building  we  had  one  of  the  grandest  views 
that  often  fall  to  the  lot  of  man  to  revel  in.  From 
this  point  we  returned  to  our  hotel. 

After  dinner  we  were  invited  to  an  entertainment 
arranged  by  our  managers.  This  was  given  in  a  hall 
in  our  hotel  by  some  twenty  Italians,  mostly  young 
people,  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  with  acting 
and    dancing  which    was    modestly  and    beautifully 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  15 

done  ;  and  much  of  it  was  original  and  very  amusing. 
Some  of  our  ministers  laughed  more  that  evening 
than  they  have  before  for  twelve  months.  All  I 
could  say  was,  '*  Well  done,  boys  and  girls  of  Italy." 

Saturday  morning  we  took  carriages  for  Pompeii. 
This  ride  of  sixteen  miles  is  said  to  be  the  second 
finest  in  all  Europe.  We  had  the  beautiful  blue 
waters  of  the  sea  on  one  hand  and  the  towering 
mountains,  ravines,  and  ridges  with  the  tropical  verd- 
ure on  the  other,  and  a  road  so  fine  that  horses  did 
not  break  the  trot  the  whole  distance.  At  Pompeii 
we  had  lunch,  then  spent  two  hours  with  guides 
travelling  through  the  ruins  of  that  wonderful  city. 
They  are  still  excavating,  had  just  uncovered  a  beau- 
tiful mansion  with  fine  statuary,  paintings,  etc.  This 
was  interesting  to  us,  as  most  of  the  furnishings  and 
fittings  have  been  carried  away.  We  saw  many  of 
them  in  the  museum  at  Naples.  They  send  officers 
with  you,  and  do  not  allow  you  to  take  away  the 
first  particle  of  anything  ;  but  I  imagine  a  little  dust 
stuck  to  some  of  our  party  before  they  left  the  city. 

Some  of  the  party  went  up  Mount  Vesuvius,  and 
returned  to  Naples  by  train  in  the  evening.  The 
others  took  carriages  for  Naples,  reaching  there  at 

5  P.M. 

\  A  quiet  Sunday  has  been  spent  here,  some  attend- 
ing church.  To-morrow  morning  at  7.30  we  expect 
to  start  for  Rome,  reaching  there  about  noon,  leaving 
there  for  this  place  again.  Saturday  we  leave  here 
for  Brindisi,  where  we  take  steamer  for  Egypt. 


1 6  VERMOA'T    TO    DAMASCUS 

II. 

Rome,  March  4,  1895. 

You  will  remember  that  in  my  last  letter  I  left  you 
at  Naples.  After  that  time  we  visited  the  old  aque- 
duct, built  through  the  mountain  by  Nero,  to  bring 
the  water  into  Naples.  When  we  were  on  our  way 
from  Pompeii,  we  saw  parts  of  the  old  Appian  Way, 
built  by  Nero  from  Naples  to  Rome,  over  which 
Saint  Paul  travelled  on  his  way  from  Puteoli  to 
Rome,  when  a  prisoner.  All  roads  lead  to  Rome, 
and  this  was  one  of  them. 

We  took  an  early  start  this  morning,  left  our  hotel 
at  7  A.M.  and  took  train  for  this  place.  Our  man- 
agers had  secured  two  cars  for  us,  so  we  were  not 
obliged  to  mix  up  with  the  natives.  These  cars  will 
be  held  here  at  Rome  until  Friday,  when  we  shall 
return  to  Naples.  Saturday  the  same  cars  will  take 
us  to  Brindisi,  where  we  take  steamer  for  Egypt. 
This  was  our  first  car-ride  in  the  old  country,  and 
we  were  interested  to  know  the  result,  as  they  tell 
great  stories  about  their  fast  trains,  etc.  One  of 
their  yarns  is  that  a  young  man  was  on  one  of  their 
fast  express  trains,  and  was  going  through  a  town 
where  his  lady  love  resided  :  he  wired  her  to  be  on 
the  platform  of  the  station,  as  he  wished  to  kiss  her 
as  he  passed  through.  She  was  there  ;  but  the  train 
went  so  fast  that,  instead  of  kissing  his  lady  love, 
he  kissed  a  peasant  at  the  next  station.  Bad  Qgg. 
Now  do  not  be  anxious  about  us  :  there  is  no  flirta- 
tion in  our  company.  However,  we  found  the  train 
a  very  good   one,  and  made   the  one  hundred  and 


LETTERS  EROM  ITALY  1 7 

sixty  miles  in  five  hours;  but  we  think  Uncle  Sam 
is  ahead  yet  on  speed  and  quality  of  service. 

Starting  out  from  Naples,  we  found  the  finest 
farming  lands  that  ever  mortals  set  eyes  upon. 
Judge  Whitmore,  of  Pennsylvania,  who  is  one  of  our 
party,  and  has  travelled  extensively,  said  he  never 
saw  the  like  before.  The  land  was  a  level  plain,  and 
rich  in  the  extreme.  There  were  a  great  many  olive, 
mulberry  and  fig  trees  scattered  over  it  ;  but  under, 
through,  and  among  them  the  ground  was  covered 
with  vegetation,  and  for  some  ten  miles  out  it  was 
largely  garden  vegetables.  It  was  like  riding  through 
a  grove  and  garden  combined.  Everything  here  is 
done  by  hand,  and  largely  the  old  bog  hoe,  as  we  call 
it,  is  used,  —  this,  with  a  round  stick  driven  in  for  a 
handle.  Occasionally  we  would  see  men  working  with 
long-handled  spades  or  shovels,  which  looked  quite 
modern.  As  we  speed  on  our  way,  this  broad  plain 
begins  to  narrow  in  upon  us,  and  the  foothills  were 
at  one  time  down  near  the  track ;  but  every  foot  of 
ground  in  this  country  seems  to  be  cultivated,  even 
to  the  tops  of  the  mountains.  Before  we  reached 
Rome,  this  valley  we  had  been  passing  over  began 
to  widen  ;  and,  when  we  caught  sight  of  the  ancient 
city,  it  appeared  to  be  standing  at  the  head  of  a  broad 
plain.  As  we  neared  the  city,  we  saw  the  old  stone 
aqueducts  resting  upon  hundreds  of  stone  arches. 
When  our  train  drew  into  the  depot,  we  were  sur- 
prised to  find  a  building  of  modern  structure ;  and, 
as  we  came  outside,  we  learned  the  fact  that  we  were 
in  what  is  called  New  Rome,  which  has  a  very 
modern  appearance.  Carriages  soon  took  us  to  the 
Hotel  d'Angleterre,  which  is  very  satisfactory. 


15  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

After  lunch  our  managers  took  us  to  the  Pincian 
Hill,  and  gave  us  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Rome,  pointing 
out  the  places  of  interest  that  we  should  visit  between 
this  time  and  Friday.  At  the  foot  of  this  hill  is 
a  park  where  stands  Cleopatra's  Needle.  At  your 
right  is  the  old  gate  to  the  city  where  the  pilgrims 
entered.  Here  Martin  Luther  entered,  and  at  your 
left  stands  the  church  where  he  took  his  first  com- 
munion. A  little  farther  in  front  flows  the  river 
Tiber,  with  its  large  number  of  bridges  spanning  its 
waters,  and  its  splendid  stone  masonry  up  and  down 
its  banks  as  far  as  you  can  see.  Beyond  this  river 
stands  St.  Peter's  Church,  with  its  sixteen  domes, 
the  main  dome  being  some  four  hundred  feet 
high,  length  of  church  six  hundred  feet,  width 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet ;  and  at  the  right  of  this 
wonderful  structure  stands  the  Vatican,  where  resides 
the  pope.  After  we  had  our  fill  of  gazing  over  the 
city,  we  descended  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  where  we 
took  carriages,  and  drove  to  St.  Peter's  Church. 
First  you  enter  the  square  in  front,  containing  some 
acres.  At  your  right  and  left  begin  the  circling  col- 
onnades. Upon  the  top  of  these,  which  extend  up 
to  the  church,  stand  statues  of  the  saints,  some  two 
hundred  of  them. 

As  you  go  up  the  long  line  of  stone  steps  and 
enter  the  church,  your  first  impression  is  its  immen- 
sity. As  you  go  on,  this  feeling  grows  upon  you  ;  and 
you  are  awed  with  its  grandeur.  Outside  it  has  a 
dingy  appearance  ;  but  a  great  amount  of  money  is 
expended  inside  to  keep  it  in  fine  condition,  and  it 
attracts  the  eye  of  all  lovers  of  the  beautiful.     Our 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  1 9 

manager  explained  everything  as  we  went  through 
this  great  building,  which  took  nearly  one  hour. 
This  church  was  nearly  three  hundred  years  in  build- 
ing, and  was  begun  in  the  fourteenth  century.  We 
went  down  into  the  vault,  and  they  unlocked  the  door 
and  showed  us  the  box  that  held,  as  they  claim,  the 
ashes  of  Saint  Peter.  The  leaving  of  this  church 
closed  quite  an  eventful  day  for  us  ;  and  we  went 
to  our  hotel  for  dinner  and  a  good  night's  rest, 
which  brought  us  out  all  right. 

Tuesday  morning  at  nine  o'clock  we  took  carriages, 
and  drove  to  the  Pantheon.  This  is  a  building  of 
historical  interest.  It  was  built  twenty-seven  years 
before  Christ  by  Marcus  Agrippa.  First  he  intended 
it  for  the  people  as  a  public  bathing-place.  It  was 
the  first  brick  building  ever  erected,  also  the  first 
dome  architecture.  One  immense  dome  covers  the 
whole  building.  It  pleased  the  people  and  its  builder 
so  much  that  in  dedicating  it  any  individual  god  was 
not  sufficient,  and  so  it  was  dedicated  to  the  gods, 
which  gave  it  the  name  Pantheon.  It  is  now  used 
as  a  church,  and  services  were  going  on  while  we 
were  looking  it  over.  From  this  building  we  drove 
to  the  Vatican.  This  building  contains  eleven  hun- 
dred rooms.  Of  course,  we  did  not  try  to  take  in 
the  whole  thing,  but  spent  some  two  hours  inside  ; 
and  I  will  mention  only  a  few  things  that  impressed 
me  most.  One  was  the  pope's  private  chapel,  which 
no  one  visits  without  permission.  The  decoration 
was  done  by  Michel  Angelo  ;  and  at  one  end  of  this 
chapel  is  his  masterpiece,  called  "The  Judgment," 
upon  which    he  nearly  lost  his  eyesight.     In   going 


2  0  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

through  the  museum  of  this  building,  you  will  make 
up  your  mind   that   marble,   onyx,  talent,  and    time 
have  made  obeisance  to  the  pope.     From  all  parts 
of  Italy  and  Greece  have  been  gathered  the  finest 
of  everything.      When   you  enter  the   rotunda,  you 
will  notice  a  gilt  bronze  statue  of    Hercules,  some 
twelve  feet  high,  standing  with  a  lion  skin  thrown 
over  one  arm,  the  other  hand  holding  an  immense 
club    resting    on    the    ground.      Fabulous    sums    of 
money  have  been  offered  for  this  statue,  but  it  can- 
not  be    bought.      It  is    said  that    the  Vatican    and 
what  is  in  it  cost  more  than  all  the  wealth  of  Italy. 
St.  Peter's  Church  is  said  to  have  cost  twelve  million 
pounds  sterling,  and   at  that  time   that  sum   meant 
much  more  than  it  does  now.     We  have  visited  the 
building  where  the  apostles    were    thrust   into    the 
inner  prison,  and  I  can  say  that  I  never  had  much  of 
an  idea  before  of  that  place.     We  took  candles,  and 
went  down  into  a  dungeon.     Then  they  told  us  that 
the  inner    prison  was  under  that.     So  on  down  we 
went ;  and,  if  the  word  dismal  has  any  significance,  we 
found  it  there,  stone  above,  below,  and  around  you. 
We  visited  the  spot  where  once  stood  the  monument 
inscribed  **  to  the  unknown  god."     The  emperor  at 
that  time  was  warned,  as  he  claimed,  by  some  god  that 
the  enemy  was  approaching,  and  went  and  conquered 
them.     Not  knowing  the  god  that  did  him  this  favor, 
he  had  the  statue  or  monument  erected  and  thus 
inscribed.     We  visited  the  Palatine  Hill  where  once 
stood  Caesar's  palace.     Everything  on  this  hill,  you 
doubtless  know,  was  destroyed  by  the  Gauls  and  Van- 
dals, being  burned  and  pulled  down;    and,  as  other 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  21 

kings  have  built  their  palaces  in  other  parts  of  the  city, 
they  have  taken  everything  of  value,  and  it  looks  now 
like  the  ruins  of  an  immense  castle.  The  government 
is  at  work  excavating  and  clearing  up  matters  ;  but  the 
subterranean  caverns,  arches,  etc.,  that  the  palace 
stood  upon  are  wonderful.  We  stood  on  the  spot 
where  Paul  stood  when  he  appealed  to  Caesar  for 
justice,  and  the  foundation  of  the  throne  where 
Caesar  sat  is  still  intact.  At  the  base  of  the  Palatine 
Hill  stand  the  three  pillars  of  Castor  and  Pollux, 
near  the  Forum.  These  pillars  were  once  greatly 
admired  for  their  symmetrical  beauty.  Pliny  tells 
us  of  a  raven  that  was  hatched  upon  the  roof  of  the 
Temple  of  Castor  and  Pollux,  that  flew  into  a  boot- 
maker's shop  opposite.  Every  morning  it  used  to 
fly  to  the  Rostra  which  looked  toward  the  Forum, 
where  he  would  salute  the  Emperor  Tiberius  and 
others  as  they  passed  by,  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  shop,  doing  this  for  several  years  and  being  a 
great  pet.  But  through  the  jealousy  of  an  owner  of 
an  opposition  shop  the  bird  was  killed,  and  for  this 
the  man  was  put  to  death.  The  bird  had  a  public 
funeral,  with  a  larger  concourse  of  people  than  ever 
attended  any  king. 

The  old  historical  interest  of  Rome  would  fill  vol- 
umes. I  am  drinking  in  what  I  can  of  it,  and  will 
give  you  a  few  more  items  of  this  ancient  city  in  my 
next  letter. 


2  2  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

III. 

Rome,  March  8,  1895. 

Still  in  sunny  Italy.  For  the  last  few  days  we 
have  been  busy  looking  over  the  interesting  parts  of 
the  city,  but  will  not  trouble  you  with  detail  in  the 
matter,  but  would  like  to  give  you  a  general  idea  of 
Rome.  Romulus  pitched  his  tent  here  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  before  the  Christian  era,  and  in  the 
nearly  three  thousand  years  Rome  has  had  a  wonder- 
ful experience.  At  times  she  ruled  the  world,  then 
again  without  prestige.  Century  after  century  has 
crumbled  into  dust,  and  the  people  of  to-day  are  walk- 
ing over  their  ashes.  The  martyrdom  of  the  apostles 
was  at  their  hand.  They  slaughtered  the  Christians, 
and  scattered  them  to  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  ; 
but  their  cup  has  been  a  bitter  one,  and  they  have 
drained  it  to  the  dregs.  But  the  stone  that  was  cut 
out  of  the  mountain  has  triumphed,  and  the  sun  of 
righteousness  is  reflecting  its  light  back  upon  its 
persecutors ;  and  Rome  is  to-day  rising  in  her  Chris- 
tian civilization.  If  you  will  take  a  ramble  with  me, 
I  will  show  you  a  city  pretty  free  from  saloons  and 
drunkenness,  streets  beautifully  paved  and  kept  re- 
markably clean  ;  a  city  with  fine  hotels,  stores  full 
of  fine  goods,  merchants  polite,  many  of  the  clerks 
speak  English,  pure  water  in  abundance  ;  and  no  city 
with  so  great  number  of  fountains,  many  of  them 
not  excelled  in  beauty  in  any  city.  Then  look  for 
a  moment  upon  her  historical  interest,  her  massive 
walls  that  surrounded  the  city  with  her  many  watch- 
towers  and  battlement,  its  gates  bolted  and  barred, 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  23 

but  now  a  thing  of  the  past,  her  ruined  temples  and 
palaces,  her  old  stone  aqueduct  that  has  given  way 
to  the  modern  iron  pipe.  These  things  are  drawing 
tourists,  English  as  well  as  American.  The  Metho- 
dists are  building  a  fine  mission  building  here,  which 
is  soon  to  be  dedicated.  Many  from  America  are 
expected  at  the  dedication.  We  are  glad  this  town 
was  in  our  route,  and  shall  leave  it  with  regrets.  Our 
stay  here  has  been  full  of  interest. 

Our  party  this  morning  took  a  carriage  for  a 
depot  on  the  east  side  of  the  city,  and  took  train  for 
Tivoli.  Crossing  the  large  plain  we  came  over  on  our 
arrival,  eighteen  miles  brought  us  to  the  foot  of  the 
Sabine  Hills.  Up  this  elevation  our  train  went,  wend- 
ing its  way  through  thousands  of  acres  of  olive-trees, 
until  it  had  carried  us  some  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  plain,  and  landed  us  in  Tivoli.  This 
town  is  m.any  years  older  than  Rome.  West,  some 
twenty  miles  distant,  you  see  Rome  with  the  dome 
of  St.  Peter's  Church.  Tivoli  is  about  half-way  up 
the  Sabine  Hills.  Back  of  this  elevation  are  the 
Apennines,  whence  comes  a  great  quantity  of  pure 
spring  water.  The  Sabine  Hills  are  composed  of 
lime-rock ;  and  the  water  from  the  Apennines  comes 
through  caverns  under  the  town,  and  makes  its 
appearance  in  different  places  one  side  of  the  town, 
and  tumbles  down  three  hundred  feet  into  a  ravine. 
The  water,  running  continually,  is  twice  as  much  as 
runs  in  Black  River,  at  Springfield,  when  it  is  at  its 
usual  height.  Walks  have  been  built  up  and  down 
these  cascades.  The  beautiful  rainbow  is  there  when 
the  sun  shines,  and  it  is  a  grand  sight  to   behold. 


24  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

Here  is  a  great  electric  plant  that  furnishes  the  lights 
for  Rome :  here,  also,  Rome  takes  its  water  supply. 
After  looking  over  these  beautiful  falls  and  the  old 
town  and  taking  our  lunch,  we  took  teams  and  drove 
to  the  plains,  and  visited  the  wonderful  ruins  of 
Hadrian's  castle,  or  palace.  Hadrian  ruled  Rome  — 
in  fact,  the  world  —  twenty-one  years  in  the  first  part 
of  the  second  century.  He  did  much  to  fortify  dif- 
ferent places,  and  at  the  same  time  spent  fabulous 
sums  for  himself,  and  has  left  the  largest  ruins 
probably  known.  His  palace  was  a  mile  long,  every- 
thing conceivable  connected  with  it.  We  found  in 
the  flooring  some  of  the  finest  mosaic  work  known. 
Bathing-houses,  swimming  and  rowing,  sports  and 
games  of  all  kinds,  were,  no  doubt,  carried  on  there. 

While  here  at  Tivoli,  we  saw  them  ploughing  with 
several  yoke  of  oxen.  The  ploughs  were  wooden 
beams,  with  a  wooden  prong  running  down  into  the 
ground,  and  one  piece  of  wood  coming  up  for  a 
handle.  Whether  these  were  the  same  oxen  that 
Elisha  was  ploughing  with  when  the  Lord  called 
upon  him  I  am  not  prepared  to  say ;  but  the  oxen 
here  are  very  peculiar-looking,  with  immense  horns 
running  up  into  the  air,  and  look  like  the  pictures 
of  the  sacred  cattle.  Almost  all  of  them  are  white. 
You  will  see  large  flocks  of  sheep  corralled  at  night, 
led  out  by  the  shepherds  daytimes. 

We  left  Rome  Friday  morning,  had  a  very  pleas- 
ant trip  to  Naples,  where  we  were  to  spend  the 
niofht.  On  our  arrival  we  found  there  had  been  an 
Austrian  steamer  run  on  the  rocks  in  the  Bay  of 
Naples,  and  four  hundred  passengers  taken  off  and 


LETTERS  FROM  ITALY  25 

put  into  the  hotel.  So  our  managers  could  not  get 
rooms  satisfactory  to  them,  and  put  us  on  a  train 
and  took  us  some  fifteen  miles,  to  Castellamare,  to 
a  fine  hotel,  where  we  had  excellent  quarters  for  the 
night.  Saturday,  March  9,  we  took  train  for  Brin- 
disi,  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles  distant.  This  gave 
us  another  view  of  Italy,  crossing  over  sections  of 
the  Apennines.  We  had  quite  a  long  train  with 
three  engines  going  up  the  mountains,  two  in  front 
and  one  in  the  rear.  It  was  a  miniature  picture  of 
our  trip  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  our  way  from 
California.  That  was  ten  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea.  This  was  four  thousand,  but  the  ragged  cliffs 
and  the  forty  tunnels  we  passed  through  had  the 
appearance  of  the  Rockies  with  their  snowsheds. 
These  tunnels  were  from  one  hundred  feet  to  a  mile 
in  length  :  the  snow  covered  the  ground  on  this 
elevation.  After  passing  over  these  mountains,  we 
dropped  down  into  a  luxuriant  valley  in  Eastern 
Italy.  Trains  here  run  no  dining-cars,  and  very 
slight  accommodations  in  the  depots  for  feeding  peo- 
ple. So  our  managers  had  lunch  put  up  for  us  at 
the  hotel  where  we  stayed  the  night  before ;  and  we 
had  a  jolly  time  with  a  picnic  dinner,  and  reached 
Brindisi  at  7  p.m.,  where  we  had  a  full  dinner  at  the 
hotel.  Our  steamer,  which  is  a  very  large  one^ 
nearly  as  large  as  the  "  Normannia,"  lay  waiting  for 
us  in  front  of  the  hotel.  We  went  aboard  about  ten. 
The  next  day,  March  10,  we  were  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean, which  at  this  time  is  smooth  and  glassy. 


2  6  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

IV. 

Monday,  the  nth. 

We  came  on  deck  this  morning  and  found  that  we 
were  sailing  under  the  island  of  Crete  ;  but  you  will 
remember  that  in  the  Epistle  to  Titus  Paul  did  not 
give  the  natives  a  very  good  reputation.  So  we  de- 
cided not  to  call  on  them,  but  shall  push  on  to  Alex- 
andria, which  place  we  expect  to  reach  to-morrow 
night  or  Wednesday  morning.  The  captain  tells  us 
that  we  are  running  ahead  of  time.  The  sea  is  calm 
and  beautiful.  We  saw  it  last  evening  by  moonlight, 
which  was  a  picture  of  a  lifetime.  Our  party  are  all 
well  and  we  are  congratulating  ourselves  in  being  so 
fortunate  in  havins;  so  smooth  a  sea  for  our  four 
days'  sail  over  these  waters  that  are  liable  to  be 
turbulent. 

In  looking  over  the  working  classes  of  Italy,  we 
find  men  and  women  both  work  as  farm  hands.  The 
men  receive  from  thirty  to  forty  cents  per  day,  the 
women  from  fifteen  to  twenty ;  and  they  board  them- 
selves. The  tax  paid  to  the  government  is  enor- 
mous. 


LETTERS   FROM   EGYPT. 
I. 

March  13,  1895. 

We  reached  Alexandria  several  hours  ahead  of 
time,  and  were  landed  safely.  You  may  be  in- 
terested in  knowing  more  fully  the  method  of  taking 
on  and  off  passengers  and  baggage  from  the  large 
steamers  that  we  have  been  travelling  on.  Occa- 
sionally they  have  a  chance  to  land  at  a  wharf,  but 
usually  they  anchor  out  in  the  bay  ;  and  small  boats 
come  from  the  shore,  and  take  from  the  steamer  all 
that  wish  to  land.  When  the  steamer  is  anchored, 
and  gives  the  signal  that  everything  is  ready,  there 
starts  from  the  shore  anywhere  from  ten  to  forty 
Arabs,  Turks,  Moors,  etc.,  with  turbans  on  their 
heads,  clad  in  either  gowns  or  Turkish  trousers,  bare 
feet  and  legs,  in  their  little  boats,  talking  and  shout- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices,  rowing  for  dear  life  ; 
for  the  first  one  to  the  steamer  expects  to  get  his  boat 
full.  Being  in  an  unknown  tongue,  it  is  a  perfect 
pandemonium.  Up  they  come,  climbing  up  the  side 
of  the  vessel  like  a  pack  of  pirates  ;  but,  as  our  man- 
agers have  the  entire  charge  of  our  transportation, 
we  have  nothing  to  do  but  stand  back  and  enjoy  the 
fracas.  This  small  boat  arrangement  is  all  right 
with  a  smooth  sea,  but  with  a  rough  surf  it  means 
business.  The  laws  of  different  cities  usually  regu- 
late  the   price  these  boatmen  should  charge  ;    but, 


2  8  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

when  they  get  hold  of  Americans  that  are  not 
posted,  they  will  fleece  them  every  time. 

The  "Thalia,"  that  brought  us  from  Brindisi  to 
Alexandria,  nearly  one  thousand  miles,  is  a  boat 
nearly  four  hundred  feet  long,  manned  by  Austrians. 
They  gave  us  good  service,  and  were  polite  and 
attentive.  When  we  took  carriages  for  our  hotel, 
a  foreign  country  dawned  upon  us  as  never  before. 
Camels  with  solemn  tread,  bearing  heavy  burdens, 
the  streets  full  of  donkeys,  the  people  with  their 
turbans,  gowns,  and  Turkish  trousers,  women  with 
the  water-bottles  on  their  heads,  blacksmiths  with 
their  anvils  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  their  shops, 
hammering  iron,  the  shoemakers  and  other  mechan- 
ics in  the  same  way,  having  their  shops,  but  work- 
ing in  front  in  the  open  air.  The  Turkish  gown 
and  trousers  is  the  common  garb.  The  police  here, 
as  well  as  in  Naples  and  Rome,  carry  the  sword  in- 
stead of  the  billy,  and  here  in  Alexandria  most  of 
them  are  mounted  on  fine  horses.  Everywhere  they 
are  in  uniform. 

After  lunch  we  took  carriages,  and  drove  most  of 
the  afternoon.  Went  out  and  visited  Pompey's  Pillar, 
which  is  a  wonderful  monument  of  granite.  The  base 
is  about  fifteen  feet  square,  ten  feet  high  ;  and  then 
there  is  a  round,  solid  shaft,  made  out  of  one  stone, 
about  nine  feet  in  diameter,  seventy  feet  high,  with 
a  capstone  that  would  weigh,  in  my  opinion,  ten 
tons.  How  this  pillar  was  set  up  on  end,  and  that 
capstone  placed  in  position,  is  a  mystery  to  the 
mechanic  of  the  nineteenth  century.  This  was 
erected  in  honor  of  Pompey,   after  his   death.     He 


LETTERS  EROM  EGYPT  29 

was  beloved  by  the  people,  as  he  had  fed  them 
many  times  in  famine.  From  this  point  we  went  to 
a  villa  and  beautiful  garden  owned  by  one  Anto- 
nides,  a  Greek  merchant.  These  grounds  are  said 
to  be  the  finest  in  Egypt.  The  khedive's  palace  we 
could  not  get  a  permit  to  enter.  Our  drive  ended 
about  6  P.M.,  landing  us  at  our  Hotel  Abbas,  where 
we  were  soon  ready  for  dinner,  and  spent  a  restful 
night. 

The  next  morning  we  took  train  for  Cairo,  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles,  and  made  the  run  in  three 
and  a  half  hours.  The  country  through  which  we 
came  was  perfectly  level,  lying  but  a  little  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  Most  of  the  way  we  followed  the 
canal  that  was  cut  through  years  ago  from  Cairo  to 
Alexandria,  connecting  the  Nile  with  that  place  and 
the  sea,  through  which  a  great  amount  of  traffic 
passes,  not  drawn  by  horses,  as  in  America,  but  with 
sail  and  row  boats.  Our  ride  from  Alexandria  took 
us  through  a  rich  farming  country,  which  seemed  to 
be  covered  with  crops.  The  work  here  is  done  differ- 
ently from  what  it  is  in  Italy.  Instead  of  the  hand 
work,  the  soil  is  lightened  up  with  the  old  wooden 
plough  drawn  by  oxen.  The  Egyptian  cattle  are 
peculiar  looking,  coarse,  large  size,  with  horns  grow- 
ing directly  backward,  close  to  the  neck.  Oxen  and 
cows  are  both  used  to  draw  the  wooden  plough. 
Everything  about  their  work  is  of  the  crudest  char- 
acter. The  yoke  is  a  round  stick  some  four  inches 
in  diameter,  perfectly  straight,  and  about  eight  feet 
long,  lying  upon  the  neck  with  ropes  instead  of  bows 
to  hold  it  on.     I  have  had  a  curiosity  to  examine  one 


30  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

of  these  ploughs.  I  went  for  an  old  fellow  to-day 
that  I  saw  ploughing  in  a  field,  but,  when  I  reached 
him,  could  not  make  him  understand  what  I  wanted. 
So  I  caught  hold  of  his  plough,  and  pulled  it  out  of 
the  ground.  There  was  no  mould-board  to  turn  over 
the  soil,  but  they  do  have  a  piece  of  iron  on  the 
point.  This  drawn  through  the  ground  has  a  ten- 
dency to  lighten  it  up.  The  soil  is  rich  and  lumpy; 
and  on  the  Nile  they  use  only  sand  brought  from 
the  desert  to  improve  their  crops,  which  are 
wheat,  barley,  flax,  onions,  cucumbers,  etc.  Egypt 
raises  immense  quantities  of  onions.  We  have  not 
seen  as  yet  many  orange  groves  ;  but  there  are  sec- 
tions where  they  are  produced  in  abundance,  as  we 
can  find  all  we  want,  large,  sweet,  and  juicy,  for  one 
cent  apiece.  There  is  no  tobacco  raised  in  Egypt. 
If  a  man  should  have  a  piece  of  ground  two  feet 
square  covered  with  tobacco,  he  would  be  liable  to 
imprisonment  for  ten  years.  Great  quantities  are 
brought  in  from  other  countries,  with  a  heavy  duty. 
This  gives  the  government  a  large  revenue,  and  is 
the  reason  why  the  people  are  not  allowed  to  raise 
it.  The  people  here  are  ground  to  the  earth  by  tax- 
ation. American  slavery,  that  we  used  to  have, 
would  be  far  preferable.  Wages  here  are  ten  cents 
a  day,  and  the  laborer  boards  himself.  Every  palm- 
tree  is  taxed,  and  everything  that  a  man  raises. 
Every  village  has  its  sheik,  or  what  we  might  call 
one  of  the  khedive's  lieutenants,  and  rules  with  an 
iron  hand  ;  and,  if  a  man  cannot  pay  his  tax,  he  is 
bastinadoed  until  his  cries  excite  the  sympathy  of 
his  friends,  and  they  come  and  pay  the  amount 
required. 


LETTERS  FROM  EGYPT  31 

As  we  left  Alexandria,  we  first  saw  the  Arab  vil- 
lages built  of  dried  mud,  —  anywhere  from  twenty 
to  a  hundred  of  these  mud  boxes,  clustered  together, 
with  alley-ways  between  them.  Some  were  thatched 
on  top  with  straw,  others  had  a  dome  top  built 
with  mud.  Here  men,  women,  and  children,  goats, 
chickens,  and  donkeys,  find  a  home.  All  seemingly 
are  living  together.  Here  by  these  villages  they 
bury  their  dead,  graves  or  tombs  being  above  ground, 
built  of  same  material  as  their  houses.  Many  of 
these  burying  structures  are  whitewashed. 

Our  first  plans  were  to  spend  several  days  in 
Cairo  before  going  up  the  Nile ;  but  on  our  arrival 
it  was  thought  best  to  start  up  the  Nile  at  once,  and 
visit  Cairo  on  our  return,  which  will  be  the  first 
week  in  April.  This  letter  will  be  mailed  at  Rhodes. 
My  next  letter  will  be  the  commencing  of  the  Nile 
tour. 

n. 

On  the  Nile,  March  17,  1895. 

My  last  letter  was  written  when  we  first  com- 
menced our  trip  up  this  wonderful  river,  but  it  was 
about  matters  that  my  eye  had  witnessed  before 
reaching  Cairo.  On  our  arrival  at  Cairo,  which  was 
Wednesday,  the  13th,  about  noon,  carriages  took  us 
direct  to  the  "  Memphis,"  our  Nile  boat,  which  was  to 
start  up  the  river  at  5  p.m.  This  boat  was  chartered 
by  the  Gaze  Company  expressly  for  our  party,  which 
just  fills  all  the  cabins  on  the  boat.  It  is  about  one 
hundred  and  ninety  feet  long,  considered  one  of  the 


32  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

best  on  the  river,  and  is  more  than  satisfactory  to 
our  party. 

After  lunch  we  took  carriages  for  two  hours,  and 
went  to  the  stores,  as  many  of  the  party  wished  to 
make  purchases  for  the  Nile  tour,  which  it  is  ex- 
pected will  be  a  warm  one,  and  needs  a  light  head- 
gear, white  umbrella,  etc.  These  are  needed  when 
we  take  our  horseback  or  donkey  rides  from  differ- 
ent landings  out  into  the  country,  of  which  we  have 
some  ten. 

The  Nile  is  said  to  be  the  most  wonderful  river  in 
the  world,  thirty-three  hundred  miles  long.  The  last 
twelve  hundred  miles  not  a  tributary  enters  it ;  and 
the  amount  of  water  it  pours  into  the  sea  after 
its  evaporation  in  travelling  three  thousand  miles 
through  the  desert,  and  its  countless  irrigating  canals 
in  Egypt,  transforming  this  section  of  country  into 
the  most  fertile  land  in  the  world,  make  it  wonderful. 
Egypt  is  often  said  to  be  the  gift  of  the  Nile,  a  mere 
strip  of  alluvial  soil  bordering  the  river  on  either 
side,  from  one-half  to  thirty  miles  wide.  All  the  rest 
is  a  broad  desert.  The  source  has  been  and  still  is  a 
mystery,  though  the  late  explorations  make  it  pos- 
sible that  the  great  lake,  Victoria  Nyanza,  is  its 
feeder.  The  melting  of  the  snow  on  the  far-off 
mountains  is  the  cause  of  its  rise  and  overflow. 
But  the  historical  associations  are  more  interesting 
than  its  natural  features.  On  its  banks  was  devel- 
oped the  oldest  civilization  of  the  world.  Its  mas- 
sive monuments  along  its  banks  are  a  matter  of 
interest  to-day.  It  had  the  honor  of  cradling  the 
Deliverer  of  the  nations.     As  we  left  Cairo,  we  were 


r 


HASHAM,    OUR    DRAGOMAN. 


LETTERS  FROM  EGYPT  :i^i 

pointed  out  the  spot  where  Pharaoh's  daughter  found 
Moses. 

Our  party  are  confident  of  an  interesting  time 
going  up  and  down  these  great  waters.  They  have 
boats  here  with  cabins  in  the  centre,  enough  for  ten 
or  twelve  persons,  with  place  in  front  end  of  boat 
for  ten  oarsmen,  five  on  a  side,  with  very  long  oars. 
The  natives  row  finely,  dipping  their  oars  at  exactly 
the  same  time,  running  their  boats  rapidly.  These 
boats  are  chartered  by  parties  going  up  and  down 
the  Nile.  We  met  yesterday  a  gentleman  and  his 
family  from  California  in  one  of  them,  coming  down 
the  river.  Some  of  our  party  have  the  American 
flag  with  them.  This  was  flung  to  the  breeze  as  we 
passed  them,  and  the  cheers  went  back  and  forth  in 
great  earnest.  We  felt  for  a  moment  as  though  we 
were  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Well,  to  go  back  to  the  starting-point.  Five 
o'clock  Wednesday,  the  13th,  all  on  board,  with  our 
luggage  packed  away  in  our  cabins,  our  steamer  that 
was  lying  close  to  the  Rasr  el-Nil  bridge,  that  is 
twelve  hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  built  by  a  French 
company,  and  is  a  model  of  work  well  done,  started 
her  engines,  and  swung  out  into  the  broad  river,  and 
our  journey  of  twenty-one  days  on  its  smooth  waters 
had  begun.  The  Gaze  Company  have  engaged  a 
dragoman  named  Hasham,  who  was  born  in  Arabia, 
but  has  been  educated  and  lived  in  Egypt,  to  take 
this  Nile  trip  with  us.  Hasham  knows  the  country, 
and  can  handle  the  natives  that  we  shall  have  much 
to  do  with  in  our  short  excursions  we  are  to  take 
from  the  boat. 


34  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

At  dinner,  which  was  served  at  six,  Hasham  came 
in,  and  gave  notice  that  breakfast  would  be  at  six 
to-morrow  morning,  rising  bell  would  ring  at  five. 
Some  of  our  ladies  thought  this  was  starting  rather 
early  ;  but  as  the  first  donkey  ride  was  to  commence 
then,  I  think  they  would  have  met  the  requirements 
if  it  had  been  three  o'clock.  But  Thursday  morning 
found  every  one  on  hand.  Our  boat  had  the  evening 
before  run  up  the  river  fifteen  miles,  and  anchored  at 
Bedrashayn  ;  and,  when  we  came  out  from  breakfast, 
we  saw  on  the  bank  of  the  river  forty  Arabs,  each 
one  with  a  donkey  all  saddled  and  bridled  and  ready 
for  the  fracas.  The  saddles  and  bridles  are  fur- 
nished by  the  Gaze  Company,  and  are  first-class. 
Soon  we  were  all  mounted  and  on  our  way.  Every 
donkey  was  followed  by  an  Arab,  who  was  anxious 
to  have  his  donkey  get  to  the  point  of  destination 
first,  and  would  put  it  into  the  gallop,  and  run  be- 
hind with  the  alertness  of  an  antelope.  One  thing 
was  wonderful, —  among  the  forty  people  of  our  party 
there  was  not  a  poor  rider :  even  the  ladies  were 
all  fine  riders.  This  excursion  would  have  been  a 
good  entertainment  for  any  New  England  village. 
Our  first  stop  was  at  the  sarcophagus  of  Rameses 
II,,  which  was  immense  in  size.  We  also  went 
into  his  tomb.  We  also  visited  the  ancient  site  of 
Memphis.  This  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  or  first 
settlement  in  Egypt.  It  has  been  buried  by  the 
sand  that  has  blown  from  the  desert ;  but  parts  of  it 
have  been  excavated,  and  interesting  relics  brought 
to  light.  We  visited  some  of  the  Pyramids,  also  the 
tombs  where  the  bones    of   the  sacred    bulls   were 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  35 

buried.  We  were  back  again  at  our  boat  at  eleven 
o'clock,  having  ridden  fifteen  miles.  On  our  return 
came  through  an  Arab  village,  saw  misery  in  full 
bloom,  looked  into  the  school-rooms  with  children 
sitting  on  the  ground,  looked  into  the  dark,  smoky, 
dingy  hovels  where  human  beings  stay,  not  live,  but 
know  nothing  better,  and  were  thankful  that  the 
lines  had  fallen  to  us  in  Christian  America.  We 
rode  through  fields  of  wheat,  barley,  flax,  everything 
luxuriant ;  and,  if  a  Christian  civilization  could  be 
introduced,  there  would  be  no  reason  why  these 
should  not  be  the  happiest  people  in  the  world. 

At  noon  our  boat  started  up  the  river,  continuing 
its  course  until  evening,  then  tying  up  for  the  night, 
which  seems  to  be  the  custom  of  all  boats  on  the 
Nile.  This  gave  us  a  fine  opportunity  to  sleep,  mak- 
ing the  trip  delightful.  Friday  we  were  on  the  river 
all  day,  resting  from  our  donkey  ride  the  day  before, 
having  a  chance  to  admire  the  scenery,  which  is  con- 
stantly changing,  with  its  groves  of  palms,  fields  of 
grain,  villages,  etc. 

About  7  P.M.  we  reached  Minieh,  where  we 
tied  up  for  the  night.  This  is  a  large  place,  with 
post  and  telegraph  ofifices  and  the  largest  sugar 
factory  in  Egypt.  Our  dragoman,  Mr.  Hasham,  pro- 
posed to  have  us  visit  these  works,  as  they  are  run- 
ning night  and  day.  So  with  guides  with  lanterns 
we  started  through  the  town  to  the  mill,  and  it 
proved  very  interesting  to  us.  We  had  never  seen 
anything  of  the  kind  before,  commencing  where  the 
cane  was  taken  from  the  wagons,  put  on  tramways 
carrying  it  into  the  mill  to  the  ponderous  rolls  where 


$6  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

it  was  crushed,  juice  pressed  out,  which  went  into 
the  tanks,  the  pulp  going  on  to  other  tramways, 
carried  out  doors  again,  where  it  is  dried  and  used 
for  fuel.  We  followed  the  process  of  making  the 
sugar,  consisting  of  many  different  operations,  until 
it  came  out  granulated  sugar,  many  of  us  taking 
samples  that  we  will  bring  home.  This  mill  employs 
two  thousand  men.  The  overseers  get  some  $2,00 
or  $2.50  per  day,  but  the  bulk  of  them  get  from  five 
to  twenty  cents  per  day.  I  have  the  impression  the 
night  and  day  help  change  at  midnight,  as  there 
were  hundreds  lying  about  in  the  mill,  asleep  on 
the  stone  floor.  Some  had  a  piece  of  burlap  under 
them,  others  the  bare  stone.  The  heat  in  the  mill 
must  have  been  ninety  or  one  hundred  degrees. 
The  sugar  is  not  as  white  as  our  granulated. 

Early  Saturday  morning  we  reached  Beni-Hassan, 
where  we  visited  the  tombs  of  Ameni  and  Knum 
hotep,  calling  for  another  donkey  ride  of  about  half 
the  distance  of  the  one  we  took  Thursday.  It  is 
said  there  is  the  toughest  set  of  Arabs  here  of  any 
place  on  the  river,  and  it  was  pathetic  and  amusing 
to  see  our  dragoman  Hasham  lash  them  with  his  big 
cudgel  of  a  whip  he  carried.  He  also  provided  two 
policemen  with  guns  to  go  along  with  the  party. 
But  everything  went  off  like  clock-work  ;  and  it  was 
the  verdict  of  every  one.  Well  done,  Mr.  Dragoman. 

Saturday  night  we  anchored  in  the  river.  About 
five  Sunday  morning  the  boat  started,  and  ran  up  to 
Assiout,  arriving  about  7  a.m.,  where  we  tied  up  for 
the  forenoon.  This  is  a  large  town,  some  forty  thou- 
sand, of  whom  twelve  thousand  are  said  to  be  Chris- 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  37 

tians.  Here  the  Presbyterians  have  a  large  mis- 
sion station.  We  attended  divine  service.  While 
everything  was  in  an  unknown  tongue,  yet  it  was 
interesting  to  see  them.  The  audience  consisted  of 
about  four  hundred  young  men  and  boys  and  one 
hundred  girls.  They  all  sang  with  a  will,  and  gave 
strict  attention  to  the  sermon,  singing  American 
tunes.  One  was  **  St.  Martin."  I  could  handle  the 
tune. better  than  I  could  the  words.  To  cater  to  the 
laws  of  the  land,  the  girls  sat  by  themselves  in  the 
front  pews,  with  a  curtain  drawn  across  the  church, 
not  so  high  but  what  those  behind  could  see  the 
minister,  who  stood  on  a  platform  raised  some  three 
feet.  The  majority  of  the  young  men  were  fine- 
looking, —  that  is,  fine  features  and  form, —  but  dark 
skin.  This  work  was  commenced  1852,  has  been 
largely  among  the  Coptics,  though  many  Mohamme- 
dans have  come  in.  The  Coptics  are  what  would  be 
called  a  corrupt  Christianity.  This  mission's  head- 
quarters are  here ;  but  they  work  all  over  Egypt, 
and  have  thousands  in  their  churches.  The  work 
was  very  slow  at  first,  but  of  late  years  has  been 
making  progress.  Mr.  Alexander,  the  minister,  met 
us  after  meeting,  and  gave  us  a  brief  history  of  the 
work  and  the  people. 

Coming  from  church,  we  went  through  the  business 
bazaars.  Everything  running  in  full  bloom.  Surely, 
Egypt  is  an  Oriental  country.  You  see  it  at  every 
turn  you  make. 

At  5  P.M.  the  Rev.  Mr.  Darsie,  of  Kentucky, 
who  is  one  of  our  party,  preached  to  us  on  deck. 
Dr.  Dunning  read  the  Scriptures,  reading  the  story 


38  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

of  Joseph's  brethren  going  down  to  Egypt  to  buy 
corn.  He  said  he  took  that  subject  because  he 
should  never  have  a  chance  to  read  it  again  on  the 
ground  where  the  scene  transpired  and  his  audience 
would  never  hear  it  again  under  existing  circum- 
stances. Our  clergyman  claims  that  Pharaoh  lived 
very  near  Cairo,  either  Memphis,  the  ruins  that  we 
visited  at  the  commencement  of  the  journey,  or 
Yoan,  which  is  a  little  nearer  Cairo  than  Memphis. 

Monday  Morning. 

We  had  a  warm  night.  Mercury  this  morning 
stands  at  seventy. 

We  are  now  passing  quite  a  large  town.  The 
banks  are  lined  with  Arabs,  boat-loads  of  stone 
water-bottles  going  down  the  river. 


HI. 

Luxor  on  the  Nile,  March  20,  1S95. 

I  will  commence  my  sixth  letter  at  this  place. 
Have  been  one  week  with  the  prow  of  our  boat 
pointing  toward  the  source  of  this  great  river.  An- 
other week,  and  we  shall  begin  to  think  of  right  about 
face,  and  follow  the  current  down  to  Cairo  from 
whence  we  started.  We  are  enjoying  the  water,  and 
the  eleven  thousand  miles  of  water  travel  we  shall 
have  before  we  reach  Springfield  ought  to  make  us 
pretty  good  sailors.  Coming  up  the  river,  we  have, 
with  other  things,  been  watching  the  methods  of  irri- 
gation.    The  more  ancient  and  crude  way  is  a  flaring 


DRAWING    WATER    ON    THE    NILE. 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  39 

vessel   that  will  hold  one  or  two  pailfuls,  with  two 
ropes  some  eight  feet    long   fastened  one    on   each 
side.     Two  men,  one    at  the  end  of  each  rope,  will 
swing  the  vessel  into  the  river  in  a  way  that  it  fills, 
then,  throwing  it  upon  the  bank  striking  bottom  side 
up,  emptying  the  water  into  the  sluice-ways,  where  it 
runs  off  into  their  gardens  and  fields.     The  rapidity 
with  which  these  men  will  throw  this  vessel  and  the 
quantity  of  water  that  will  run  from  one  of  them  are 
surprising.     This    works    where    the   bank    is    only 
some  five  feet  high  or  less.     Another  arrangement  is 
an  old-fashioned  well-sweep.     This  will  take  the  water 
up  high  embankments,  as  the  first  man  draws  it,  say 
eight  feet,  and  pours  it  into  a  shallow  well  dug  in  the 
bank.     From  this  the  next  man  takes  it,  and  so  on  to 
the  top,  where  it  is  carried   in  trenches  as  before. 
The  third  and  better  way  is  two  wheels,  one  horizon- 
tal, the  other  perpendicular.     The  latter  has  an  end- 
less chain  running  over  it,  long  enough  to  go  down 
into  the  water.     On  this  chain  are  hanging  buckets 
that  are  coming  up  full  of  water,  emptying  at  the  top 
into  a  trough,  and  going  on  down  empty.     The  other 
wheel  that  carries  this  has  an  ox  or   horse  or  some 
animal  attached  to  it,  and  goes  round  like  the  horse 
grinding  mortar  in  a    brick-yard.     These    machines 
carry  up  a  large  quantity  of  water,   making  quite  a 
brook    running    away   from    them,    which    in    many 
instances  runs  long  distances. 

I  should  like  to  have  you  rise  early  with  me  some 
morning,  and  see  the  natives  on  our  boat  wash  the 
deck  floor.  First,  they  throw  water  over  it  Then 
each  man  has  a  whisk   or  brush  broom,  laying  flat- 


40  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

wise,  fastened  to  the  under  side  of  his  right  foot ; 
and  by  a  back  and  forward  motion,  sliding  the  right 
foot  on  the  floor,  the  scrubbing  is  done  with  a  ven- 
geance. While  doing  this,  they  all  sing  and  keep 
perfect  time.  It  may  not  be  as  graceful  as  the 
dancing  of  our  young  people,  but  it  is  quite  as 
effective.  When  they  sing,  it  is,  "  Zallah,  zallah," 
etc.,  which  means  in  English,  My  God,  help  me. 

Yesterday  we  called  at  Neneh,  a  place  of  sixteen 
thousand  people.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  province, 
and  has  large  manufactories  of  pottery,  supplying 
nearly  all  Egypt  with  gallahs  and  filterers.  We 
went  into  the  works,  and  saw  them  make  their 
wares.  A  man  sits  with  his  feet  in  a  pit.  In  that 
pit  is  a  horizontal  wheel,  two  feet  in  diameter,  with 
a  shaft  running  up  just  out  of  the  pit.  This  wheel 
he  turns  with  his  feet.  On  the  top  of  the  shaft 
he  places  the  clay,  and  spins  it  up  with  his  hand, 
forming  any  shape  desired.  It  is  spun  very  much 
like  plated  ware,  only  the  men  in  those  works  have 
tools  to  form  the  metal  and  run  it  with  greater  speed. 

On  our  return  we  came  through  their  bazaar. 
These  institutions  in  Egypt  are  a  curiosity. 

We  also  visited  the  temple  of  Denderah.  This  is 
without  doubt  the  grandest  relic  or  ruin  in  all  Egypt. 
In  its  day  the  temple  must  have  been  grand.  Many 
of  its  designs  are  supposed  to  have  been  taken  from 
Solomon's  Temple.  It  is  supposed  to  have  been 
destroyed  by  the  Mohammedans.  The  beautiful 
carving  and  sculpturing  with  coloring  had  most  of 
them  been  hampered,  pounded,  and  defaced  as  much 
as  possible.     We  all    decided  that   its   glory  in  its 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  41 

day  could  not  have  been  described  with  pen.  The 
eye  must  have  beheld  it  to  realize  its  beauty  and 
grandeur. 

Luxor,  or  its  ancient  and  Bible  name  Thebes  or 
No,  is  spoken  of  in  Ezekiel  xxx.  14-16.  It  is  a 
place  full  of  historical  interest,  and  we  do  not  give 
it  merely  a  passing  notice,  but  are.  to  remain  here 
three  days,  taking  excursions  out  to  the  old  temples, 
tombs,  etc.  It  was  a  great  city  before  the  days  of 
Abraham.  It  became  the  seat  of  empire  under  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  dynasties  of  kings.  It  was  a 
walled  city,  said  to  have  contained  at  one  time  five 
million  of  people. 

The  alluvial  plains  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile  here 
seem  to  extend  her  borders  right  and  left.  Standing 
on  our  boat,  looking  west,  our  eye  views  a  beautiful 
plain  for  miles  ;  and  in  the  background  in  a  crescent 
form  rise  the  mountains  of  sandstone,  which  is  the 
commencement  of  the  Libyan  desert.  Then  you  will 
get  a  similar  picture,  looking  east. 

Thebes  flourished  many  years.  Kings  became 
builders  of  heathen  temples,  but  the  day  of  vengeance 
came  at  last.  Ptolemy  Lathyrus  razed  it  to  the 
ground  about  one  hundred  years  b.c.  ;  and  on  these 
great  plains,  where  once  stood  the  great  city  of  the 
world,  are  now  scattered  only  ruins. 

Here  in  Luxor  is  an  American  mission  ;  and  many 
of  the  boys  and  girls  are  studying  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  read  quite  well.  We  went  into  a  grist- 
mill to-day,  said  to  be  one  of  the  best.  They  grind 
the  wheat  with  a  granite  stone,  some  three  and  one- 
half  feet  in  diameter  and  about  four  inches  thick, — 


42  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

that  is,  the  upper  stone, —  which  rests  on  a  spindle 
with  a  small  gear  at  the  bottom.  Into  this  is  con- 
nected a  large  gear.  The  shaft  of  the  large  gear 
has  a  sweep,  and  to  that  is  attached  a  donkey 
which  goes  round  in  a  circle,  giving  the  mill-stone 
quite  a  speed,  and  will  grind  nearly  a  bushel  an  hour. 
The  owner  takes  the  flour  and  sifts  it  by  hand,  and 
makes  it  into  bread  for  sale.  The  wheat  is  plump 
and  fine,  quality  of  bread  very  good. 

The  obelisk  that  was  recently  set  up  in  New 
York  City  was  taken  from  Alexandria,  where  we 
landed  on  our  way  from  Brindisi.  The  one  erected  in 
Paris  was  taken  from  this  place.  It  was  one  of  a  pair. 
We  have  been  looking  over  the  remaining  one  and 
the  base  of  the  one  taken  away,  but  the  one  that 
excels  them  all  is  about  two  miles  east  of  the  village 
of  Luxor.  It  is  one  piece  of  solid  granite,  one  hun- 
dred and  six  feet  high,  nine  feet  square  at  the  base, 
finely  carved.  Some  thirty  feet  of  the  top  was  cov- 
ered with  gold,  and  shows  the  result  of  it  to-day. 
This  wonderful  piece  of  work  was  erected  by  Queen 
Hatasu.  Thus  you  will  see  that  woman  has  outdone 
all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  a  work  accomplished 
by  her  is  the  wonder  of  the  world.  The  work  on 
this  obelisk  was  done  in  seven  months  and  seven 
days. 

We  have  been  travelling  over  these  plains  about 
Luxor,  covered  with  interesting  relics,  for  the  last 
three  days ;  and  it  is  wonderful  what  the  ancient 
Pharaohs  did,  and  from  appearance  it  was  for  self- 
aggrandizement.  Two  miles  east  of  Luxor  stand 
the  ruins  of  an  immense  temple.     In  one  portion  are 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  43 

one  hundred  and  thirty-four  pillars  some  fifty  feet 
high.  From  this  temple  run  several  avenues,  the 
longest  extending  to  the  river,  a  distance  of  two 
miles.  These  avenues  were  lined  with  sphinxes  on 
each  side,  hundreds  of  them,  bearing  the  emblem  of 
the  power  of  the  king.  Standing  back  of  these  were 
rows  of  palms  and  other  Oriental  trees. 

Pharaoh  had  his  three  thousand  chariots  with  him 
when*  he  rode  in  state.  But  to-day  in  this  region  no 
one  rides  in  carriages.  Camels  and  donkeys  are  the 
modes  of  conveyance,  excepting  the  sedan  chair. 

Farming  here  sticks  to  the  fathers.  They  thresh 
the  grain  the  old  way.  It  is  trodden  out  with  oxen  ; 
and,  to  keep  the  old  injunction  good,  they  are  not 
muzzled.  We  do  not  see  here  farm-houses  as  we  have 
in  New  England.  The  people  all  live  in  villages,  and 
go  miles  to  do  their  work.  You  will  see  the  Rebec- 
cas, with  their  water-jars  on  their  heads,  going  long 
distances  for  water.  Whether  these  things  are  ever 
to  be  modernized  is  a  hard  question  to  answer. 


IV. 

Cairo,  April  2,  1S95. 

After  mailing  my  last  letter  at  Luxor  on  the  Nile, 
where  we  spent  three  days,  we  continued  our  course 
up  the  river,  having  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles 
more  to  travel  south  to  reach  Assouan  at  the  first 
cataract,  where  was  to  end  our  outward  Nile  tour. 
Assouan  is  the  farthest  from  Springfield  of  any  place 
we  shall  visit,  and  took  us  nearer  the  equator  than 
we  ever  expect  to  be  again. 


44  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

The  season  was  late  to  visit  that  tropical  region, 
and  ours  was  the  last  large  party  to  leave  the  cataract 
this  season.  Hence  we  expected  to  suffer  from  the 
heat ;  but  the  Lord  smiled  on  us,  and  gave  us  cool 
weather.  Ninety-two  in  the  shade  was  the  highest 
the  mercury  went,  and  that  was  only  a  few  hours  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  always  having  cool  nights. 
Even  Vermonters  can  stand  that  temperature. 

Our  first  stop  after  leaving  Luxor  was  at  Esneh, 
where  we  visited  a  temple  which  was  built  or  had 
been  repaired  at  a  late  date ;  that  is,  after  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Christian  era.  The  next  and  only 
stop  was  at  Edfu.  There  we  visited  the  temple  of 
Horace,  which  was  modern  and  beautiful.  Here  they 
had  patterned  after  Solomon's  Temple,  had  the  holy 
of  holies  with  the  exact  measurement,  also  the  ark 
of  the  covenant. 

We  reached  Assouan  March  24,  and  found  it  one 
of  the  prettiest  towns  in  Upper  Egypt.  Here  is 
where  all  the  large  steamers  turn  their  prows  down 
the  river,  and  traffic  that  is  going  up  the  river  is 
taken  by  camels  or  donkeys  by  the  rapids,  then  put 
into  small  boats.  This  is  what  has  built  up  the  town, 
and  it  might  well  be  called  the  offspring  of  the  cata- 
ract. We  spent  two  days  at  Assouan  in  the  bazaars, 
trading  and  watching  the  habits  and  lives  of  the 
people,  etc.  We  also  visited  the  town  of  Philas,  giv- 
ing us  a  donkey  ride  of  fifteen  miles.  Philae  is  a 
beautiful  town  at  the  head  of  the  cataract.  We  re- 
peated the  old  story  of  visiting  another  temple. 
This  was  the  temple  of  Isis. 

Some  of  our  party  returned  from  this  place  by 


LETTERS    FROM   EGYPT  45 

boat,  going  down  the  rapids  in  small  boats  managed 
by  the  natives.  This  was  a  curiosity.  The  natives 
always  sing  when  they  handle  the  oars.  Their 
music  has  time  and  rhythm,  and  that  is  all  there 
is  to  it. 

While  on  the  Nile,  we  visited  one  of  the  Nilome- 
ters.     With  these  instruments  a  record  of  the  height 
*of  the  water  is  kept,  and  by  this  record  the  taxa- 
tion of  the  crops  is  regulated. 

Egypt  is  noted  for  its  ancient  historical  records. 
Monetho,  a  priest  and  Greek  scholar,  was  employed 
by  Ptolemy  II.  to  study  ancient  manuscript  and 
hieroglyphics,  and  brought  forth  a  work  that  was 
considered  valuable  at  the  time.  A  large  part  of 
this  work  later  on  was  lost ;  but  the  study  of  the 
handwriting  on  the  wall  has  of  late  years  been 
revived,  and  great  interest  to-day  is  manifested  in 
those  old  historical  relics, —  the  obelisks,  temples,  and 
tombs, —  and  it  seems  as  though  God  had  made  Egypt 
a  great  repository  to  keep  the  records  of  the  Old 
World.  With  its  wonderful  preservative  qualities, 
no  rain  or  dew,  a  perfectly  dry  atmosphere,  every- 
thing seems  to  keep  in  its  original  state.  We  have 
seen  polished  granite,  four  thousand  years  old,  look- 
ing as  clean  and  bright  as  though  it  had  been  pol- 
ished within  a  year. 

The  papyrus  manuscripts  that  have  been  un- 
earthed in  the  temple  and  tombs  are  making  revela- 
tions every  day.  The  bread  and  grain  brought  to 
light,  thousands  of  years  old,  are  items  of  interest. 

We  have  been  upon  the  tops  of  some  of  these  old 
temples.     In  one  place  we  went  up  two  hundred  and 


46  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

forty-six  steps.  Have  had  some  beautiful  views  of 
the  Nile,  with  its  broad  plains  covered  with  palms 
and  fields  of  grain,  etc. 

This  country  is  different  from  anything  we  have 
ever  seen  before.  As  you  sail  up  this  broad  river, 
with  its  rich  alluvial  land  on  both  sides,  back  of  these 
plains  rise  somewhat  abruptly  hills  and  mountains 
composed  largely  of  sandstone  of  a  pearly  gray  ap- 
pearance, seemingly  variegated.  Here  commence 
the  great  sand  deserts.  These  hills  have  not  the 
first  green  thing  on  them,  and  are  saying  to  the  tiller 
of  the  soil,  "  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther." 
The  plains  and  mountains  give  us  some  beautiful  sun- 
sets. 

We  travelled  from  Cairo  to  Assouan,  five  hundred 
eighty-three  miles  ;  and  the  average  width  of  this 
valley  is  six  miles.  This  is  all  there  is  of  Egypt  ex- 
cepting from  Cairo  to  Alexandria,  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles.  A  peculiar-shaped  country,  but  rich  in 
her  fertility,  raising  two  and  three  crops  a  year,  and 
exports  much  more  than  they  import.  Her  histori- 
cal relics  that  are  coming  to  light  are  beginning  to 
draw  tourists.  Four  thousand  of  this  class  have 
gone  up  and  down  the  Nile  the  last  year ;  and  the 
number  will  increase  in  the  future,  giving  her  quite 
a  revenue.     It  is  a  very  unique  trip. 

If  I  were  an  artist,  I  would  with  pencil  and  brush 
give  you  a  picture  of  the  natives,  camels,  and  don- 
keys at  one  of  our  landings.  But,  as  I  am  not,  I 
shall  have  to  content  myself  with  a  few  outlines. 
As  soon  as  our  boat  ties  up  at  the  landing,  the  na- 
tives begin  to  gather  with  their  wares  and  donkeys 


LETTERS  FROM  EGYPT  47 

from  all  directions,  trinkets  to  sell,  donkeys  to  let, 
etc.  The  natives  are  very  artistic.  They  clip  their 
donkeys  over  the  back.  Then  on  the  sides  and  legs 
they  notch  and  slash  the  hair  in  such  a  way  they  will 
show  beautiful  palm-leaves  on  the  sides.  On  their 
legs  some  of  the  donkeys  look  as  though  they  had  on 
short  pantalets  with  pointed  lace  at  the  bottom,  then 
the  mitre  and  breastplate,  etc. 

No,w  let  us  take  a  ride  into  town  or  some  objec- 
tive point ;  and,  if  you  are  fond  of  fun, —  and  I  know 
you  are, —  here  is  where  you  get  it.  As  soon  as  you 
step  ashore,  and  they  see  there  is  a  chance  to  let  a 
donkey,  they  will  make  a  rush  for  you,  every  man 
praising  up  his  own  animal,  shouting  in  an  unknown 
tongue  and  gesticulating  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
At  first  you  will  think  you  are  going  to  have  a  street 
fight  on  your  hands  at  once.  Then  they  will  begin 
to  grab  hold  of  you,  and  you  will  make  up  your 
mind  that  you  are  going  to  be  quartered,  and  each 
quarter  is  going  off  on  a  separate  donkey,  and  you 
will  have  four  backsheesh  to  pay  instead  of  one. 
But  all  is,  when  things  begin  to  grow  interesting,  say 
to  them,  "  Hands  off !"  and  mount  the  first  good-look- 
ing donkey  you  can  get  at,  and  you  will  be  surprised 
to  see  how  quickly  things  quiet  down.  No  one  finds 
any  fault,  and  the  man  that  secures  the  job  is  happy. 
The  next  thing  is  to  make  your  donkey  boy  under- 
stand where  you  wish  to  go.  Then  you  are  off  with  a 
rush.  The  young  man  follows  his  donkey  with  a 
whip  or  cane,  and  will  give  you  all  the  speed  you  want, 
using  his  cane  over  the  hind  parts  of  his  animal,  and 
shouting  at  top  of  his  voice,  "  Zah,  hoo,  zah,  hoo ! " 


48  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

but  having  sympathy  for  the  donkey,  and  not  wish- 
ing for  such  speed,  you  begin  to  wave  your  hand 
backward,  and  shout,  ''Slower,  slower!"  and,  unless 
you  are  persistent  in  your  demands,  you  will  still 
keep  up  the  rush.  Either  way  you  are  sure  to  get 
there  all  right,  then  alight  from  your  donkey  and  go 
where  you  please.  When  you  return,  you  will  find 
your  donkey  boy  waiting  for  you.  When  you  return 
to  the  boat  and  pay  for  your  ride,  it  makes  no  differ- 
ence what  you  give  them,  they  will  want  more. 
The  disposition  with  the  natives  is  to  get  all  they 
can  out  of  the  tourist.  Many  a  time  in  selling  their 
wares  they  will  take  one-eighth  of  what  they  asked 
in  the  first  place.  But  such  is  life  in  Egypt.  It  is 
impossible  to  go  out  from  the  steamer  into  town 
without  havinof  from  three  to  six  of  these  natives 
following  you,  offering  to  guide  you,  for  which  they 
expect  backsheesh,  or  else  they  are  trying  to  sell 
you  scarabs  or  some  unearthly  thing  you  care  noth- 
ing about.  A  polite  invitation  for  them  to  leave 
amounts  to  nothing.  You  have  to  go  for  them 
with  a  cane,  and  give  them  to  understand  you  mean 
business. 

The  sad  thing  of  this  country  is  the  halt,  maimed, 
lame,  and  blind  you  meet  at  every  turn,  begging. 
Some  of  the  most  pitiable-looking  creatures !  It 
makes  the  heart  sick.  If  a  man  could  be  a  many 
times  millionaire  with  a  heart  to  give,  this  would  be 
a  splendid  field  for  him. 

The  Nile  seems  to  be  the  pride  of  Egypt.  The 
people  all  come  to  it  with  their  herds  to  water,  also 
to  drink  themselves.  Their  washings  are  done  on 
its  shores. 


LETTERS  EROM  EGYPT  49 

Money  seems  to  be  worth  more  than  in  America, 
and  is  in  smaller  denominations.  They  have  here 
parion,  millims,  and  piastres.  The  parion  is  a  small 
copper  coin,  value  one-eighth  of  a  cent.  Two  parion, 
a  larger  piece,  one-fourth  of  a  cent.  The  millim  is 
very  small,  with  silver  in  it,  value  one-half  cent. 
Two  millim,  one  cent.  A  piastre  is  a  trifle  over  five 
cents,  then  there  is  one-half  piastre.  The  five  pias- 
tre pi^ce,  twenty-six  cents,  is  the  size  of  our  quarter. 
The  ten  piastre  piece,  fifty-two  cents,  and  twenty 
piastre  piece,  one  dollar  and  four  cents,  correspond 
to  our  half-dollars  and  dollars.  The  quality  of  their 
silver  is  better  than  ours,  and  stands  on  equal  footing 
with  French  gold. 

We  remain  here  about  ten  days,  then  go  into  Pal- 
estine, where  horses  take  the  place  of  donkeys. 


V. 

Cairo,  April  5,  1S95. 

The  Congregational  Oriental  party  is  at  this  time 
nicely  located  at  the  D'Angleterre  and  new  hotels 
that  would  do  credit  to  any  American  city.  Many 
of  the  clerks  and  waiters  speak  English,  and  are 
very  polite  and  attentive.  While  we  expect  to  re- 
main here  until  the  13th,  yet  we  are  not  anxious  to 
have  the  hour  of  our  departure  arrive. 

Cairo  seems  to  be  the  Chicago  of  Egypt,  a  place 
of  some  four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  about 
twenty  thousand  of  them  English  and  Americans. 
The  bulk  of  the  residents  are  Mohammedans.     This 


50  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

place  was  founded  about  a.d.  850.  Touloun,  a  Mos- 
lem, was  its  first  governor.  In  11 70  the  famous  Sal- 
adin  usurped  the  throne;  in  1250  the  Mamelukes 
took  possession;  in  15 17  it  was  stormed  and  capt- 
ured by  the  sultan,  Selim.  To-day  England  has 
a  powerful  grip  on  Egypt.  The  khedive  ran  the 
country  badly  in  debt.  England  took  the  bond  until 
she  stepped  in,  and  said,  "  We  must  control  the  prop- 
erty." The  Egyptian  army  is  officered  by  English. 
In  fact,  they  keep  many  of  their  soldiers  here,  and 
Egypt  feeds  them  ;  yet  England  can  take  them  away 
any  time  she  chooses.  The  khedive  lives  in  Cairo, 
and  rules  some  six  millions  of  people;  yet  he  is  ready 
to  take  off  his  hat  to  Johnny  Bull  whenever  he  meets 
him.  The  six  millions  of  people  in  Egypt  are  largely 
Mohammedans,  some  half  million  Coptics.  Here  and 
there  you  will  find  people  from  Nubia,  Soudan,  and 
India.  The  people  are  a  copper  color,  excepting 
those  from  Soudan,  they  being  black  and  shiny,  but, 
unlike  the  negro,  have  not  the  thick  lips  and  curly 
hair.  The  Egyptians  are  straight,  fine  forms,  white 
teeth ;  and  many  of  them,  aside  from  color,  are  hand- 
some. They  are  not  vicious,  and  are  easily  man- 
aged by  those  in  authority. 

The  condition  of  women  in  the  country  is  deplor- 
able. The  laws  of  the  Mohammedans  give  a  man 
a  right  to  have  four  wives  if  he  wishes  for  them. 
He  buys  them,  the  usual  price  being  twenty-five 
dollars,  paid  for  in  any  kind  of  goods  the  man  may 
happen  to  have.  If  he  wishes  to  get  rid  of  them, 
the  law  requires  him  to  support  them  nine  months  ; 
and  the  woman  has  to  take  care  of  and  support  the 


LETTERS    FROM   EGYPT  51 

children  until  eight  years  old.  So  you  see  divorce 
is  an  easy  matter ;  and  they  are  sure  to  send  the 
wives  off  when  they  get  to  be  old,  and  take»young 
wives  in  their  place.  The  law  in  these  matters  is 
a  mere  letter,  and  many  of  the  well-to-do  Arabs  have 
twenty  wives  instead  of  four;  and  many  times  they 
are  sent  off  with  a  piastre  (five  cents)  instead  of 
nine  months'  support.  The  man  rides  his  camel  or 
donkey,  and  the  wife  walks  or  runs  behind.  Some- 
times they  send  them  out  on  a  two-wheel  cart  to  air 
them. 

The  marriageable  age  for  girls  is  twelve,  boys 
eighteen.  We  have  seen  many  a  young  wife  about 
that  age  with  her  baby  in  her  arms.  They  never 
educate  the  girls. 

The  laws  of  the  Coptics  are  different.  Only  one 
wife  is  allowed. 

When  the  prow  of  our  steamer  was  headed  north- 
ward on  the  Nile,  we  had  but  little  to  do  upon 
our  return  but  watch  the  scenery  and  the  villages. 
There  are  a  few  towns  that  show  thrift,  with  some 
modern-looking  buildings ;  but  the  majority  are  the 
6ld  mud  houses,  and  the  walls  are  built  up  some 
seven  feet  high,  then  poles  thrown  across  and  a  cov- 
ering of  straw  to  keep  the  sun  out.  Not  having  rain 
up  the  Nile,  the  roof  is  of  minor  importance.  We 
went  through  many  of  those  villages,  and  into  some 
of  the  houses,  where  you  will  find  in  one  room  don- 
keys, pigs,  hens,  and  the  natives  all  living  together  ; 
and  a  good,  nice  Vermont  hog-pen  is  a  palace  to 
some  places  we  saw. 

There  seems  to  be  a  disease  of  the  eyes  among  the 


52  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

children  in  Egypt,  and  the  flies  gather  on  them. 
We  have  seen  children  with  their  eyes  so  covered 
with  flies  you  could  hardly  tell  whether  they  had 
eyes  or  not ;  and  they  seem  to  make  no  effort  to  keep 
them  off.  This,  I  think,  is  the  reason  why  there  are 
so  many  blind  people  here.  It  is  said  that  one  in 
twenty  is  blind,  either  one  eye  or  both.  There  are 
no  hospitals  or  places  for  the  poor,  so  all  they  can  do 
is  to  sit  and  beg.  It  seems  as  though  the  condition 
of  the  people  in  Upper  Egypt  is  worse  than  here  in 
Cairo. 

I  have  been  wandering  with  you  through  the 
country.  I  will  now  try  to  give  you  a  glimpse  of 
Cairo.  While  there  are  camels  and  donkeys  here, 
you  will  see  some  of  the  streets  full  of  fine  horses 
and  carriages.  The  officers  of  the  government  and 
many  of  the  wealthy  have  their  fine  turnouts.  They 
have  their  sais,  who  are  the  most  sylph-like  beings 
imaginable.  They  can  run  hours  without  tiring. 
They  wear  a  richly  decorated  garment,  embroidered 
in  gold  arabesques,  a  wide  silk  sash  with  ends  float- 
ing in  the  air,  with  loose  gauze  sleeves,  white,  falling 
to  the  waist,  and  a  short  skirt  coming  to  the  knees 
of  same  material.  A  wealthy  man  will  have  two  of 
these  men,  who  run  abreast  of  each  other.  Some- 
times you  will  see  one  alone.  They  carry  a  wand 
some  five  feet  long,  brought  against  the  shoulder, 
when  they  run  before  the  carriage.  The  coachman 
drives  his  team  rapidly.  The  sais  run  with  great 
speed,  keeping  about  one  hundred  feet  in  advance, 
shouting  to  anything  or  anybody  that  is  in  the  way 
to  clear  the  track.     I  have  never  come  in   contact 


LETTERS    FROM   EGYPT  53 

with  them  ;  but  I  enjoy  watching  them  exceedingly, 
they  look  so  fine  and  run  so  gracefully. 

The  new  part  of  Cairo  where  we  are  located  is 
modern  in  appearance,  broad  streets,  fine  public 
buildings,  stores  filled  with  fine-looking  goods,  etc.  ; 
and,  if  it  was  not  for  the  Oriental  toggery  going 
through  the  streets,  you  would  almost  think  you 
were  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Wh^n  you  leave  your  hotel,  the  first  thing  you 
meet  is  an  Arab  with  a  donkey.  He  knows  a  few 
words  of  English;  and  he  says  :  **  Fine  donkey,  nice 
donkey  to  ride.  Donkey  take  you  to  bazaar.  Fine 
donkey,  ride  easy,  good  donkey."  No  matter  how 
strong  your  assertions  are  that  you  do  not  wish  to 
ride,  he  will  follow  you  a  long  distance.  Another 
conveyance  is  the  pasta  Baluak.  This  annoys  no 
one.  It  looks  like  a  small  street-car,  seats  running 
crosswise,  so  you  enter  on  the  side.  The  car  is  much 
wider  than  the  running  gear.  There  are  four  small 
wheels  underneath.  They  hitch  on  a  pair  of  horses, 
and  go  where  they  please  in  the  highway.  The  pas- 
sengers get  on  and  off  at  their  pleasure,  paying 
for  their  ride.  Very  convenient  where  there  are  no 
horse  or  electric  cars,  things  we  have  not  seen  in 
Egypt. 

Cairo  is  said  to  have  a  thousand  mosques.  It 
seems  to  be  a  city  of  domes  and  minarets,  some  of 
them  very  handsome.  We  have  been  in  several  of 
them.  They  differ  from  the  Catholic  cathedrals, 
being  entirely  free  from  statuary,  figures,  or  pictures. 
The  Mohammedans  are  decidedly  opposed  to  any- 
thing of  the  kind.     In  one  of  the  squares  of  Cairo  is 


54  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

a  statue,  upon  a  horse,  of  Abram  Pasha ;  but,  when  it 
was  erected,  it  met  with  great  opposition.  The  ala- 
baster mosque  is  one  of  the  finest,  solid  columns  of 
pure  alabaster.  In  every  one  of  these  buildings  on 
the  east  side  is  a  circular  recess,  beautifully  inlaid ; 
and  in  this  mosque  this  was  solid  onyx  of  the  finest 
quality.  Toward  this  recess  every  one  faces  when 
he  worships :  this  points  him  toward  Mecca.  In  the 
front  court  of  this  alabaster  mosque  is  a  closed  foun- 
tain, some  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  canopy  top. 
Around  the  outside  are  round  onyx  stones,  about 
twelve  inches  high  and  twenty  inches  in  diameter. 
In  front  of  each  one  of  these  stones  is  a  faucet. 
Before  the  man  is  allowed  to  worship  in  the  mosque, 
he  kneels  on  one  of  those  stones,  opens  the  faucet 
and  washes  his  feet,  face,  head,  mouth,  nose,  and  ears. 
Then  he  enters  the  mosque,  and  performs  his  devo- 
tions. The  floor  is  covered  with  mattings  or  carpets. 
The  building  is  profusely  lighted,  having  more  or  less 
colored  glass,  and  must  look  fine  in  the  evening  when 
lighted. 

We  visited  the  oldest  church  in  Cairo,  built  over 
one  thousand  years  ago.  It  is  a  Coptic  church,  still 
in  use.  We  also  visited  a  mosque  built  about  the 
same  time. 

Our  dragoman,  Hasham,  is  a  Mohammedan  ;  and 
we  have  a  chance  to  study  theology  with  him.  They 
believe  that  Christ  was  a  prophet,  but  Mohammed 
was  a  greater  and  later  one.  Many  of  them  are  very 
devoted,  but  their  religion  does  not  seem  to  bring 
them  upon  a  very  high  plane  of  moral  living.  Ha- 
sham  says  he  is  coming  to   America.     I  have  the 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  55 

impression  that  he  is  beginning  to  think  that  there 
is  a  better  religion  than  he  is  now  acquainted  with. 
We  visited  to-day  the  Palace  Hotel,  being  shown 
all  through  it.  This  was  built  by  the  khedive  for  a 
palace,  and  cost  eleven  millions  ;  but  he  found  out 
that  he  had  more  palaces  than  he  could  support,  and 
sold  this  one  to  a  French  syndicate  for  a  hotel. 
The  grounds  are  extensive,  finely  laid  out  with 
flowers,  fountains,  statuary,  many  beautiful  trees, 
and  about  one  hundred  electric  lights,  with  large 
globes  to  light  the  grounds  in  the  evening,  which 
must  make  it  a  perfect  fairyland  when  lighted.  It 
is  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  and  their  prices 
are  from  three  to  five  dollars  per  day.  They  can  take 
care  of  some  two  hundred,  and  have  not  been  able  to 
accommodate  half  that  wish  to  stop  with  them.  One 
hundred  more  rooms  are  to  be  added  this  summer. 
If  you  wish  for  the  finest  thing  in  Cairo,  send  in  your 
name.  You  will  not  get  nearer  paradise  in  this  sec- 
tion of  country  than  there.  We  saw  one  arrange- 
ment that  was  beautiful.  On  some  of  the  mirrors 
were  painted  vines  and  flowers,  and  it  made  it 
appear  as  though  you  were  looking  into  a  conser- 
vatory. It  is  the  cheapest  conservatory  one  can 
have,  no  danger  of  frost,  and  you  will  always  have 
vines  in  blossom. 


56  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

VI. 

Cairo,  April  6,  1S95. 

This  has  been  a  great  day  in  Cairo.  The  tomb  of 
Mohammed  in  Mecca  is  kept  covered  with  beautiful 
carpets  of  tapestry  and  embroidery,  which  are  re- 
newed every  two  years.  This  is  the  year  for  re- 
newal, and  they  have  with  great  labor  and  skill  been 
prepared  ;  and  the  6th  might  be  called  the  day  of 
dedication.  All  business  in  Cairo  came  to  a  stand- 
still :  everybody  and  everything  was  in  gay  attire. 

8  A.M.  was  the  hour  to  meet  on  Citadel  Hill. 
We  were  there  with  our  carriages  promptly  on 
time.  Many  of  those  beautiful  carpets  were  spread 
over  oval  top  stretchers,  carried  by  men.  Then 
there  was  a  canopy  for  the  tomb  that  was  gorgeous 
and  dazzling.  This  was  on  a  sacred  camel,  and  en- 
tirely covered  the  animal,  the  top  being  some  ten 
feet  above  the  camel's  back.  These  all  passed  close 
by  our  carriage.  Some  two  thousand  soldiers,  with  a 
large  amount  of  cavalry,  artillery,  etc.,  all  beautifully 
uniformed,  and  large  bands  of  music.  The  khedive 
was  in  the  procession.  The  people  and  carriages 
covered  acres.  The  coverings  for  the  tomb  were 
taken  from  the  citadel  to  a  mosque ;  and  in  a  few 
weeks  another  day  will  be  set  apart,  and  the  goods 
will  start  for  Mecca. 

The  night  before  the  6th  they  had  what  they  call 
a  feast.  These  goods  were  placed  in  one  of  the 
public  buildings,  brilliantly  lighted ;  and  eatables 
also  were  added,  and  all  that  wished  went  in.  It 
was  like  a  grand  reception.     When  the  whole  thing 


LETTERS    EROM   EGYPT  57 

was  over,  we  decided  we  were  lucky  to  hit  so  rare 
an  occasion. 

When  we  visited  the  oldest  mosque,  we  saw  the 
column  with  Mohammed's  hand  holding  a  whip  im- 
printed on  it.  They  claim  this  column  flew  from 
Mecca  to  Cairo, —  quite  a  flight. 

When  on  Citadel  Hill,  we  saw  the  place  where 
Mameluke  jumped  his  horse  off  a  precipice,  killing 
his  horse,  but  by  a  miracle,  as  it  were,  saved  his  own 
life.  This  was  when  Mohammed  Ali  made  a  ban- 
quet, and  invited  all  the  head  men  of  the  different 
provinces,  and  at  the  right  moment  let  his  soldiers 
in  upon  them,  killing  several  hundred,  this  Mameluke 
being  the  only  one  to  escape. 

When  Abraham  walked  the  plains  of  Mamre  with 
the  angels,  and  pursued  the  captors  of  Lot,  Egypt 
had  her  large  cities,  and  was  the  centre  of  art  and 
learning.  Even  Rome  and  Athens  had  their  first  in- 
stalment of  knowledge  and  science  from  this  old 
country. 

Saturday  we  took  carriages,  and  drove  ten  miles  to 
Heliopolis.  Here  was  located  the  great  institution 
of  learning  in  the  time  of  Pharaoh,  the  place  where 
Moses  and  Joseph  received  their  education.  Here  is 
the  oldest  obelisk  in  Egypt,  and  the  old  sycamore 
tree,  said  to  be  growing  on  the  spot  where  the  holy 
family  rested,  when  they  went  down  to  Egypt  to 
escape  the  wrath  of  Herod. 

The  more  you  travel  here  in  Egypt,  the  more  you 
are  impressed  with  its  ancient  historical  interest. 

I  have  given  you  thus  far  in  this  letter  more  of  the 
new  Cairo  than  of  the  old.     There  is  a  part  of  this 


58  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

city  that  is  as  ancient  seemingly  as  are  the  eternal 
hills  that  are  around  it,  and  there  is  no  way  that  you 
will  get  more  of  the  Oriental  life  than  to  go  with  me 
through  the  bazaars.  Here  you  will  enter  streets 
miles  in  length,  some  of  them  so  narrow  that  only 
pedestrians  and  equestrians  enter  them.  Each  side 
is  full  of  stalls,  many  of  them  not  more  than  six  by 
ten  feet.  On  the  floor  is  usually  a  rug,  on  which 
sit  the  merchants,  many  of  them  smoking  their 
nargileh.  These  boxes  or  stores,  and  occasionally 
larger  ones,  are  packed  full  of  goods,  many  of  the 
richest  quality.  In  these  bazaars  you  will  find  them 
manufacturing  shoes,  garments,  silver  and  copper 
ware,  etc.,  using  the  crudest  tools  imaginable,  yet 
their  work  is  fine.  We  saw  articles  in  silver  that 
were  exquisite.  The  natives  and  their  donkeys  are 
going  to  and  fro,  good-naturedly  jostling  each  other; 
and  you  can  rejoice  in  one  thing,  that  the  large,  fat 
people  do  not  live  in  Egypt.  If  you  are  buying  goods, 
you  should  pay  about  two-thirds  the  asking  price. 
In  buying  expensive  articles,  it  takes  usually  about 
three  days  and  several  cups  of  coffee  to  complete 
the  bargain.  You  will  find  stores  filled  with  attar  of 
roses  and  the  sweet-scented  perfumes  of  Arabia  and 
the  Oriental  country.  The  buildings  usually  jut 
over  above  the  first  story,  the  merchants  living  up- 
stairs, the  buildings  so  near  together  you  can  almost 
shake  hands  across  the  street ;  and,  as  you  are 
aware  there  are  acres  covered  in  this  way,  you  will 
have  some  idea  of  the  wealth  and  stock  in  trade  in 
Cairo. 

While    making   our   way    through    one    of    these 


LETTERS    FROM   EGYPT  59 

streets,  we  turned  to  our  right  into  a  narrow  lane, 
and  entered  an  establishment  for  manufacturing  fur- 
niture, saw  beautiful  fret-work  and  inlaid  pearl. 
There  was  a  scaffold  in  the  shop  that  was  ten  by 
fifty  feet.  We  went  up  a  ladder  to  get  on  it,  and  I 
counted  forty  men  and  boys  working  on  that  space. 
Some  were  carving,  others  were  working  on  inlaid 
pearl ;  but  the  work  which  interested  us  most  was 
turning  beaded  work.  They  had  a  fillbow,  the  string 
around  the  piece  of  wood  they  were  turning.  With 
one  hand  they  kept  the  piece  of  wood  in  motion. 
With  the  other  hand  and  the  toes  of  the  left  foot 
they  held  the  chisel,  and  you  would  be  surprised  to 
see  them  sit  there  and  rapidly  perform  that  work. 
I  have  a  piece  of  the  work  in  my  pocket-book  that  I 
shall  take  to  America. 

In  the  bazaars  you  will  see  the  natives  selling 
water,  lemonade,  licorice  water,  etc.  You  will  hear 
them  in  all  directions.  They  have  a  fancy  glass  bottle 
holding  about  a  gallon,  trimmed  with  brass  chains  and 
dangles.  This  they  carry  on  the  side  with  a  strap 
or  chain  over  the  shoulder.  Then  with  two  bright 
copper  or  brass  saucers  in  one  hand  they  strike  or 
chime  them  together  in  a  musical  way,  being  heard 
a  long  distance,  and  with  the  cup  or  tumbler  that  is 
hung  to  the  bottle  will,  for  half  a  piastre,  let  you 
have  all  you  want.  I  drank  some  of  the  licorice 
water  once,  but  have  not  been  dry  since. 

The  donkeys,  many  of  them,  have  a  necklace 
around  the  neck  with  a  thousand  or  less  little  brass 
or  nickel  charms  or  tinklets.  It  is  very  nice  in 
these  crowded  bazaars ;  for  you  will   hear  them   as 


6o  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

they  come  rushing  along  behind  you,  giving  you  a 
chance  to  take  care  of  number  one.  While  you  are 
here,  you  had  better  go  through  the  lace,  tassel,  and 
embroidery  departments  where  they  are  manufactur- 
ing these  goods  by  hand,  then,  as  you  leave  for  your 
hotel,  come  through  the  perfumery  and  spice  bazaars. 
They  will  give  you  a  chance  to  sample  their  goods  ; 
and  you  will  return  with  the  sweet  odors  of  Mecca, 
attar  of  roses,  etc.,  that  will  be  about  you  the  rest  of 
the  day. 

We  have  visited  the  ostrich  farm,  thirteen  hundred 
and  fifty  birds,  a  sight  to  behold,  saying  nothing 
about  the  eggs  and  feathers. 

Monday,  the  8th,  we  took  carriages,  and  drove  to 
the  Pyramids,  a  drive  of  ten  miles,  one  of  the  finest 
roads  in  the  country,  six  miles  as  level  and  straight 
as  you  could  draw  a  line,  lined  each  side  with  the 
libbek  trees,  resembling  our  locust.  This  road  was 
built  by  the  khedive  when  the  Suez  Canal  was 
opened ;  and  Empress  Eugenie  came  here,  and  was 
the  first  to  ride  over  it.  We  are  ready  to  take  off 
our  hat  to  the  empress.  The  pyramid  we  visited, 
and  most  of  the  party  went  to  the  top.  It  was  some 
four  hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  and  seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet  square  at  the  base,  twenty  feet 
square  at  the  top.  On  the  corners  the  stones  were 
laid  in  a  way  to  make  steps  some  three  feet  high. 
So  two  Arabs  would  take  a  person,  and  in  a  short 
time  walk  them  to  the  top. 

On  our  way  out  to  the  Pyramids  we  met  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  camels  with  produce  going  into 
Cairo.     Met  seventy  on  the  bridge  as  we  cross  the 


LETTERS    FROM   EGYPT  6i 

Nile,  twelve  hundred  sixty  feet  long.  This  would  be 
quite  a  show  if  it  was  not  in  Egypt. 

There  are  a  large  number  of  pyramids  in  Egypt, 
both  small  and  great.  These  at  Gizeh  that  we  visited 
are  the  largest,  and  were  built  in  the  third  and  fourth 
dynasty,  nothing  standing  to-day  that  dates  back 
beyond  them.  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  gazed  on 
them  probably  with  as  much  wonder  as  the  people  of 
to-day.  There  has  been  some  speculation  by  differ- 
ent writers  as  to  what  they  were  built  for,  but  there 
is  hardly  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  they  were  built 
as  tombs  for  the  kings.  There  are  many  passage- 
ways and  apartments  in  them.  The  ancient  kings 
had  an  idea  of  immortality,  and  that  the  body  must 
be  preserved,  in  order  to  save  the  soul.  Hence,  as 
soon  as  they  had  the  power,  they  commenced  to  pre- 
pare for  the  future.  This  largest  pyramid  was  built 
by  Cheops,  and  was  some  twenty  years  building.  It 
took  ten  years  to  build  the  roads  to  transport  the 
stone.  At  times  there  were  one  hundred  and  s'ixty 
thousand  men  at  work  on  it.  Cheops  was  a  tyrant, 
and  his  subjects  disliked  him  cordially;  and,  knowing 
this  feeling  to  exist,  he  did  not  dare  to  have  his  body 
placed  in  this  wonderful  tomb  or  pyramid  he  spent 
so  many  years  building.  He  gave  orders  to  his  few 
friends  to  have  him  buried  in  some  secret  place. 
The  monument  remains,  but  its  builder  is  forgotten. 

If  you  wake  up  to-morrow  morning  at  four  o'clock 
or,  in  fact,  any  morning,  and  your  windows  are  open, 
you  will  hear  the  muezzins  from  all  directions,  call- 
ing the  hour  of  prayer.  They  are  in  the  mosques, 
upon  the  balconies  of  the  minarets.     The  call  lasts 


62  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

but  a  few  minutes,  and  sounds  like  chanting  in  an 
unknown  tongue. 

We  all  of  us  seem  to  be  creatures  of  circum- 
stances. That  article  seemed  to  strike  the  Oriental 
party  favorably.  Yesterday  we  were  all  invited  to 
visit  the  residence  of  one  of  the  noted  sheiks  of 
Egypt.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the  Prophet,  is  very 
wealthy,  has  four  hundred  houses  in  Cairo  to  rent, 
besides  large  land  estates.  His  name  is  El  Sadatt. 
He  has  fifty  servants  in  his  residence,  some  three 
hundred  in  all.  He  received  us  very  cordially.  We 
found  him  sitting  in  the  court.  We  had  an  interpreter  ; 
and  his  servants  ushered  us  into  a  large  reception- 
room,  and  passed  the  cigarettes  and  coffee.  Every 
one  partook  of  the  latter,  and  was  invited  into  his 
gardens.  The  gentlemen  would  have  been  glad  to 
have  seen  the  ladies  of  the  house,  but  that  was  not 
allowable.  A  eunuch  was  called,  and  took  the 
ladies  into  the  harem,  where  they  found  a  wife  and 
two  pretty  daughters,  and  several  girl-servants,  prob- 
ably slaves.  When  we  departed,  we  gave  him  our 
cards  ;  and  he  gave  each  of  us  one  of  his.  We  re- 
turned, feeling  that  we  had  seen  some  of  the  higher 
life  of  Egypt,  as  well  as  the  low. 

In  the  evening  we  were  invited  to  a  reception  at 
Dr.  Grant's,  who  is  a  Scotchman.  His  wife  was  from 
Pennsylvania,  U.S.A.,  and  had  been  a  schoolmate  of 
one  of  our  Oriental  party.  The  doctor  has  been 
here  twenty-nine  years.  He  has  a  mania  for  collect- 
ing Egyptian  relics,  and  his  residence  is  a  perfect 
museum.  He  read  us  a  paper  that  he  had  prepared 
on  Egyptian  music,  which  was  considered  fine.     Cer- 


SHEIK    EL  SADATT. 


LETTERS  EROM  EGYPT  63 

tainly,  it  showed  study.  Coffee,  tea,  lemonade,  cake, 
etc.,  were  a  part  of  the  programme.  We  reached 
our  hotel  at  11.30  p.m.,  and  called  it  a  full  day, 

We  have  enjoyed  our  ten  days'  touring  here  in 
Cairo.  Most  of  them  have  been  busy  ones.  We  have 
been  pretty  thoroughly  through  the  museum,  which 
is  very  extensive,  but  almost  wholly  Egyptian. 

But  I  have  had  you  jostling  against  the  natives, 
so  m,uch  on  donkeys  and  camels,  in  temples  and 
tombs,  etc.,  so  I  will  not  detain  you  long  in  that 
building,  but  will  call  your  attention  to  a  few  things 
that  interest  me  most.  First  was  the  statue  of  a 
man,  his  face  having  a  splendid  expression,  well 
formed,  fine  muscle  and  joints,  well  dressed  for  this 
climate,  seemingly  perfect  in  all  his  parts ,  but,  when 
you  come  to  inquire  for  his  name  and  what  material 
he  is  made  from,  you  will  discover,  by  close  exami- 
nation, that  he  is  nothing  but  wood.  Quite  a  marvel ! 
I  think  Cab  Ellis  must  have  dreamed  about  him  be- 
fore he  invented  his  jointed  doll. 

The  1 6th  of  February,  the  day  we  left  New  York, 
the  natives  found  in  a  tomb  at  Doshua,  up  the  Nile, 
two  gold  crowns  of  an  empress,  gold  chains,  brace- 
lets, and  all  the  paraphernalia  for  a  beautiful  queen. 
This  we  saw  in  the  museum.  The  workmanship  was 
exquisite,  and  they  looked  as  bright  as  though  they 
had  just  come  out  of  a  jewelry  shop.  The  museum 
building  was  formerly  a  palace,  built  by  the  khedive  ; 
and  parts  of  it  are  fine  of  themselves,  and  the  rooms 
number  one  hundred.  It  also  has  a  garden  con- 
nected with  it,  and  a  part  has  been  made  zoological. 
So,  when  you  come  to  Cairo,  be  sure  and  take  it  in. 
It  is  about  three  miles  out  of  the  city. 


64  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

We  visited  while  here  in  Cairo,  the  howling  der- 
vishes. Their  performance  is  what  they  call  worship. 
They  howl  and  bend,  sway  in  every  direction  ;  and 
some  of  them  will  whirl  around  like  a  top.  There 
were  about  twenty  of  them  on  a  platform  ;  and  some 
fifty  people  went  in  to  see  them,  with  admission  fee. 
The  question  with  me  was  which  was  the  bigger 
fools,  the  audience  or  the  performers. 

Saturday  we  leave  here  for  Port  Said  by  rail,  there 
take  the  boat  for  Jaffa,  and  then  to  Jerusalem,  which 
place  we  shall  probably  reach  about  the  middle  of 
next  v/eek ;  and  I  will  write  you  from  that  place. 

While  stopping  here  in  Cairo,  we  have  seen  some 
American  reminders.  You  will  occasionally  see  a 
bicycle,  have  seen  one  steam-roller  for  making  roads. 
A  part  of  the  streets  have  on  them  the  water-cart 
sprinklers.  In  other  parts  of  the  city  what  is  done  in 
that  line  is  done  with  the  leather  water-bottle  that 
we  read  of  in  ancient  Bible  history.  It  is  the  skin  of 
the  goat,  many  of  them  with  the  hair  on,  and  being 
sewed  up,  from  appearance,  will  hold  two  or  three 
pailfuls.  They  are  filled  and  emptied  at  the  neck, 
which  has  a  small'  opening.  You  will  see  thousands 
of  the  natives  at  the  Nile  filling  these  bottles.  I 
should  say  they  would  weigh,  when  filled,  one  hun- 
dred pounds.  They  are  carried  on  the  side  with  a 
strap  over  the  shoulder.  They  will  go  on  the  street, 
partly  close  the  outlet  with  one  hand,  giving  a  sway- 
ing motion,  and  will  thus  sprinkle  the  streets  quite 
rapidly  and  very  acceptably  to  the  dusty  traveller ; 
yet,  when  you  have  summed  up  the  whole  country, 
you  will  be  obliged  to  write  the  word  passe.     They 


WATER    BOTTLES    AND    FILTERS    OF    EGYPT. 


LETTERS  FROM  EGYPT  65 

are   ploughing    with   the    same  plough    that    Elisha 
used,  treading  out  the  grain  with  oxen.     The  camels 
are  the  burden-bearers.     Everything  about  as  it  was 
four  thousand   years    ago.     Whether  Jonah's    expe- 
rience, as  related  by  Dudley  Warner,  had  any  effect 
upon  them,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.     When  the 
whale  landed  Jonah  on   shore,  his  skin  tender  as  a 
parboiled  chicken,  he  saw  a  blind  man  eating  dates. 
Jonah^with  his  tender  heart  restored  the  man's  eye- 
sight.    As  soon  as  this  was  done,  he  began  to  snap 
the  seed  at  Jonah,  and,  he  being  in  a  tender  condi- 
tion, it  hurt  him  prodigiously,  and  he  complained  to 
the  Lord ;  but  word  soon  came  back  to  let  things  be 
as  he  had  fixed  them  or  take  the  consequences."^ 

The  Egyptians  have  let  things  be  about  as  they 
were,  and  when  they  are  going  to  have  courage  to 
change  them  no  one  can  tell.  A  new  civilization 
will  have  to  be  introduced,  woman  elevated,  Moham- 
medanism exchanged  for  a  pure  religion. 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


Jaffa,  Syria,  April  15,   1895. 

We  left  Cairo  the  13th  at  11.30,  ran  out  on  the 
main  line  to  Alexandria,  some  twenty  miles,  then 
branched  off,  running  due  north  through  the  land  of 
Goshen,  a  beautiful,  rich  farming  country  of  broad 
plains,  as  fine  as  anything  we  have  seen  in  Egypt. 
This  was  where  Pharaoh  told  Joseph  to  locate  his 
kindred,  and  where  the  Israelites  grew  and  multi- 
plied, and  afterwards  became  slaves,  and  were  at 
last  obliged  to  make  bricks  without  straw ;  and 
then  Moses  came,  and  led  them  out  to  the  land  of 
Canaan. 

We  passed  through  some  of  the  treasure  cities 
they  built  for  Pharaoh.  One  of  the  places  is  now 
named  Zakayik.  After  leaving  this,  we  passed  along 
the  edge  of  the  great  desert  with  nothing  but  sand 
and  sage  brush. 

We  also  passed  Tel-el-Kiber,  where  the  battle 
between  the  English  and  Egyptians  was  fought  in 
1882.  The  English  soldiers  being  so  far  superior, 
much  better  drilled  and  equipped,  they  made  quick 
work  of  the  affair,  the  battle  lasting  only  twenty-five 
minutes,  the  English  losing  only  twenty-six  men. 
We  saw  the  little  plat  of  ground  where  they  were 
buried,  which  was  fenced  in  and  neatly  cared  for. 
As  soon   as  the  battle   was   over,  the  cavalry   pro- 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  67 

ceeded  at  once  to  Cairo,  and  made  their  demands, 
which  were  granted  without  further  resistance. 

About  five  o'clock  we  reached  Ismalia,  where  we 
changed  cars,  taking  a  narrow-gauge  road  to  Port 
Said,  forty  miles  distant.  Ismalia  is  noted  for  its 
baggage  thieves;  for,  if  a  piece  of  baggage  is  lost 
there,  it  is  never  found  again.  So  we  held  on  to  our 
grips,  and  kept  our  eyes  on  the  trunks,  which  had  to 
be  transferred  about  ten  rods  from  one  depot  to  an- 
other. This  was  done  by  Arabs  taking  them  on 
their  backs,  which  was  a  marvel  to  us.  I  saw  one 
Arab  with  four  steamer  trunks  on  his  back  at  once. 
I  would  not  have  believed  such  a  story,  had  I  not 
seen  it  with  my  own  eyes,  and  shall  not  insist  on 
any  of  my  friends  taking  any  stock  in  this  transpor- 
tation company  unless  they  choose  to  do  so. 

Ismalia  is  where  we  strike  the  Suez  Canal,  and  is 
about  half-way  between  Port  Said  and  Suez.  Our 
train  follows  the  canal  all  the  way  to  Port  Said. 

The  earth  that  was  taken  out  of  the  canal  was 
largely  taken  out  with  baskets  by  the  natives,  and 
left  on  the  banks.  This  seems  queer  to  a  Yankee, 
but  labor  at  ten  cents  a  day  changes  the  operation 
wonderfully.  Much  of  the  way  we  could  not  see  the 
water  in  the  canal,  and  it  was  a  peculiar  sight  to  see 
steamers  of  all  sizes  sailing  through  the  sandy 
desert.  At  times  we  could  only  see  the  upper  part 
of  the  vessel. 

This  great  water-way  cost  nineteen  million  pounds 
sterling,  some  over  twelve  million  being  taken  by 
the  stockholders,  and  the  rest  by  the  khedive.  The 
income  is  getting  to  be  enormous.     The  first  year, 


68  VERMONT   TO  DAMASCUS 

1 87 1,  the  receipts  were  three  hundred  and  forty- 
thousand  pounds.  In  1890  they  were  two  million 
six  hundred  and  eighty-nine  thousand  pounds.  The 
canal  has  a  depth  of  twenty-six  feet,  and  at  the  bot- 
tom is  some  seventy  feet  wide.  Within  a  few  years 
the  electric  search-light  has  been  introduced,  which 
enables  the  vessels  to  run  nights. 

We  reached  Port  Said  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, and  such  a  motley  crowd  you  never  saw.  From 
the  chatter  and  clamor  that  was  going  on  we  thought 
that  the  Tower  of  Babel  must  be  somewhere  near. 
We  took  carriages,  and  went  to  the  Eastern  Exchange, 
a  hotel  seven  stories  high,  fireproof,  with  a  twenty- 
foot  wide  veranda  running  all  around  the  building. 
This  was  carried  up  the  seven  stories ;  and  most  of 
the  rooms  opened  on  to  those  verandas,  and  in  this 
climate,  and  standing  on  the  seashore,  was  very 
pleasant. 

Port  Said  has  some  twenty-three  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  wicked  places  of 
Egypt.  The  next  day  after  our  arrival  was  Easter 
Sunday,  and  you  would  have  thought  it  was  the 
Fourth  of  July, —  bands  of  music,  firing  of  cannon, 
and  a  general  holiday.  We  remained  in  our  hotel 
until  about  four  o'clock,  then  went  aboard  a  large 
French  steamer  that  lay  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  at 
about  6  P.M.  steamed  out  of  the  bay  for  Jaffa,  reach- 
ing this  place  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

To-morrow  morning  at  six  we  start  for  Jerusalem. 
Some  of  our  company  are  going  by  carriages,  others 
on  horseback. 

Jaffa,  or  the   Bible  name  Joppa,  is  where  Jonah 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  69 

Started  from,   when    he  came    in    contact  with   the 
whale. 

As  you  come  up  the  bay,  you  see  the  city  com- 
mencing at  the  water's  edge,  towering  up  as  it  re- 
cedes, one  tier  of  buildings  above  another.  Follow 
this  up  some  ten  minutes'  walk,  and  you  come  up 
on  a  broad  plain,  a  place  of  some  twenty  thousand 
people,  about  one-half  Mohammedans,  the  other  half 
from  all  creation,  nearly  all  kinds  of  dress  but  Amer- 
ican. Most  of  that  is  seen  on  the  tourist.  The  ba- 
zaars are  fearful ;  that  is,  as  far  as  dirt  is  concerned. 
Jaffa  is  the  shipping  port  for  Jerusalem.  Here  was 
landed  the  material  in  the  time  of  Solomon  for  the 
building  of  the  temple. 

Our  hotel  is  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  city, 
and  is  a  very  comfortable  place  to  stop  at.  On  the 
upper  veranda  you  can  look  over  hundreds  of  acres 
of  orange-trees,  and  far  in  the  distance  can  be  seen 
the  hills  of  Judea. 

We  have  visited  the  house  where  Dorcas  made  so 
many  garments,  also  the  house  of  Simon  the  tanner, 
where  Peter  had  his  vision  when  praying  on  the 
house-top.  Have  driven  out  some  two  miles  to  a 
German  settlement,  and  found  a  beautiful  country, 
more  variety  than  in  Egypt. 

Jaffa  has  no  harbor  for  large  steamers,  so  we  had 
to  be  landed  in  small  boats.  There  are  times  when 
the  surf  is  so  high  that  they  cannot  land  the  passen- 
gers, and  they  carry  them  by  to  Beyrout ;  but  we 
were  fortunate,  and  were  landed  very  nicely,  although 
some  of  our  party  were  fearful  that  they  should  go 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.     But  after  we  were  in  the 


70  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

little  boats,  and  went  tossing  up  and  down  over  the 
waves,  we  rather  enjoyed  it. 

One  peculiarity  of  this  country,  there  is  no  wharf- 
age. We  find  the  climate  a  little  cooler  than  on  the 
Nile,  and  more  variety  of  scenery.  Here  we  first 
placed  our  feet  on  the  land  of  Palestine.  This  was 
the  section  of  country  allotted  to  the  tribe  of  Dan. 


II. 

Jerusalem,  April  17,  1895. 

Monday  evening,  the  15th,  at  Jaffa,  our  managers 
gave  notice  that  we  should  be  called  the  next  morn- 
ing at  4.30,  to  have  our  trunks  and  grips  packed  and 
be  ready  for  breakfast  at  5.30,  and  we  would  start  at 
6  for  Jerusalem,  forty  miles,  over  one  of  the  best 
roads  to  be  found  in  any  country.  The  party  had 
the  privilege  of  choosing,  go  by  carriage  and  make 
the  journey  in  one  day,  or  on  horseback,  taking  two 
days  for  the  trip.  There  were  fourteen  that  chose 
carriages,  the  members  from  Springfield  being  among 
the  number.  Prompt  on  time,  with  four  carriages 
and  our  dragoman,  we  bade  good-by  to  Jaffa,  one  of 
the  oldest  cities  in  the  world,  and  headed  our  horses 
eastward  toward  Mount  Zion,  driving  several  miles 
through  orange  and  lemon  groves,  until  we  struck 
the  plains  of  Sharon.  (See  Song  of  Solomon  ii.  i.) 
We  found  a  beautiful  country,  with  a  profusion  of 
roses  and  flowers  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  We 
passed  at  our  right  a  Jewish  agricultural  college, 
established   by  Charles    Netter,   of  Paris.     A  little 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  71 

farther  on  at  the  left  a  modern  village,  said  to  be 
on  the  site  of  ancient  Hazar-shual,  where  Samson 
caught  the  three  hundred  foxes  (Judges  xv.  4) ;  and 
by  the  way  we  met  a  young  Rev.  Mr.  Green,  who 
used  to  preach  at  Hartford,  Vt.  He  has  been  in  this 
region  a  few  weeks,  roaming  the  country,  gathering 
flowers.  He  thinks  there  would  be  no  trouble  now 
in  catching  that  number  of  foxes,  as  in  many  places 
you  can  almost  knock  them  over  with  a  club.  They 
are'  called  jackals.  They  were  about  our  hotel  at 
Jaffa,  and  stirred  up  the  dogs,  so  that  between  the 
dogs  and  jackals  we  were  kept  awake  half  the  night. 

The  next  place  of  importance  was  Ramleh,  the 
traditional  Aramathea.  (See  Matt,  xxvii.  57.)  Here 
is  a  stone  tower,  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  Cru- 
saders. It  is  some  one  hundred  feet  high.  We  went 
to  the  top,  and  had  a  grand  view  from  Gaza  on  the 
south,  to  Mount  Carmel  on  the  north,  eastward  the 
land  of  Judah  and  Benjamin,  westward  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Looking  south-west,  you  see  Ashdod  Gath, 
the  home  of  Goliath.  Farther  to  the  east  you  see 
Gezer,  a  Canaanitish  town  taken  by  Pharaoh  and  pre- 
sented to  his  daughter,  Solomon's  wife. 

After  leaving  Ramleh,  we  pass  at  our  left  Gimzo, 
which  was  taken  from  the  Israelites  by  the  Philis- 
tines. Six  miles  from  Ramleh  we  go  down  into  the 
valley  of  Ajalon,  where  Joshua  commanded  the  moon 
to  stand  still.  (See  Joshua  x.  12.)  This  valley  runs 
north  and  south,  and  is  perhaps  one  mile  across,  with 
a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  or  more  below  the 
plains.  Each  side  beyond  this  valley  we  pass  the 
village  of  Latron,  said  to  be  the  home  of  the  penitent 


72  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

thief.  Latron  is  about  half-way  from  Jaffa  to  Jeru- 
salem. In  leaving  this,  we  go  down  into  the  Wady 
Ali,  and  then  begin  to  climb  the  hills  of  Judah,  and 
soon  enter  the  land  of  Benjamin  and  pass  the  old 
site  of  Kirjath-jearim,  where  the  ark  of  God  rested 
for  twenty  years.  If  you  will  cast  your  eye  to  the 
left,  you  will  see  in  the  distance,  upon  the  top  of  a 
conical  hill,  Mizpah,  the  highest  land  in  this  part  of 
Palestine.  This  was  where  Saul  was  chosen  king. 
(See  I  Samuel  x.  17-24.)  Gibeah  of  Saul  is  in 
sight,  also  the  home  of  John  the  Baptist.  From  this 
place  we  pass  down  through  another  valley  and 
around  the  brow  of  the  hill.  Beyond  we  come  in 
sight  of  Jerusalem,  only  about  one  mile  distant. 

The  last  ten  miles  was  a  continual  climb  most  of 
the  way,  and  I  have  never  been  so  impressed  with 
the  Scripture  where  it  speaks  of  the  tribes  going  up 
to  the  Holy  C:*ty  to  attend  their  great  religious  fes- 
tivals. Last  Sunday  was  Easter,  and  there  was  a 
great  celebration  in  Jerusalem.  We  were  on  the 
road  Tuesday,  and  it  was  full  of  people  returning 
from  that  festival.  We  met  one  company  of  about 
one  hundred.  Some  were  walking,  and  others  riding 
on  horses,  donkeys,  or  camels.  We  were  told  that 
the  party  would  be  away  from  home  sixty  days,  thirty 
days  each  way. 

You  would  see  horses  with  a  pillion  on  them, 
straps  going  over  the  horse's  back  holding  boxes  on 
each  side,  perhaps  a  little  canopy  over  the  boxes.  In 
these  boxes  were  the  little  children,  and  the  mother 
sitting  on  the  pillion,  the  husband  walking  behind. 
Then  would  come  a  camel,  with  the  mother  riding, 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  73 

and  the  children  in  front  of  her.  There  were  all 
kinds  and  ways,  nags  and  Arabs,  a  motley  crowd. 

The  country  about  Jerusalem  is  different  from 
what  I  had  pictured  it.  It  is  very  mountainous  for 
a  long  distance  westward,  and  the  hills  have  a  very 
peculiar  appearance.  The  sides  of  these  hills  and 
mountains  look  as  though  human  agencies  had  been 
at  work  on  them,  and  terraced  them  from  bottom  to 
top.  They  will  show  a  line  of  stone  from  two  to 
four  feet  high  running  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  as 
straight  as  a  line,  then  grass  or  trees  for  several  rods, 
then  another  layer  of  stones,  so  on  up  to  the  top. 
The  olive  orchards  many  times  extend  clear  to  the 
tops  of  the  mountains.  The  gray  stone  and  the 
green  give  in  the  distance  a  mottled  appearance. 

It  seems  to  be  a  great  field  for  goats.  We  saw 
hundreds  of  them  as  we  came  up  the  mountain, 
every  flock  having  a  shepherd.  -* 

As  we  near  Jerusalem,  and  are  near  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  our  eyes  behold  wonderful  beauty  in  the 
landscape  in  all  directions.  Jerusalem  is  an  elevated 
city.  "And  as  the  mountains  are  around  about  Jeru- 
salem," etc., —  the  saying  is  a  true  one  ;  but  the  moun- 
tains are  not  high  ones,  for  the  city  itself  towers 
toward  heaven,  and  you  have  to  descend  into  a  valley 
before  you  can  climb  any  of  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. 

On  our  arrival  at  Jerusalem  we  went  to  the  Jeru- 
salem hotel  which  is  in  the  new  part  of  the  city, 
outside  of  the  city  walls  of  old  Jerusalem,  and  is 
beautiful  for  situation. 

The  horseback  party  arrived  the   next   day  after 


74  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

our  arrival,  and  pitched  their  tents  not  far  from  our 
hotel,  but  near  the  Jaffa  gate.  We  were  to  have  two 
camping  tours,  the  short  one  from  this  place  and 
return,  occupying  three  days,  going  to  Jericho,  the 
Jordan  and  Dead  Sea,  distance  thirty  miles.  This 
is  considered  the  most  dangerous  travelling  we  shall 
have.  As  it  was  in  the  time  of  Christ,  so  it  is  now, 
full  of  Bedouins  and  robbers.  Being  entirely  an 
unsettled  country,  our  orders  were  to  keep  together. 
If  any  one  went  ahead  or  lagged  behind,  he  would  do 
so  at  his  own  risk. 

It  is  necessary  to  have  some  official  on  this  trip. 
So  we  had  a  son  of  one  of  the  sheiks,  mounted  on 
his  gray  charger,  armed  to  the  teeth ;  and  our  drago- 
men all  had  their  short  swords.  This  camping  busi- 
ness is  a  regular  circus,  a  picnic  every  day.  It  takes 
about  one  hundred  horses,  mules,  and  forty  men  to 
move  us.  Those  at  the  hotel  were  to  take  horses, 
and  partake  of  the  luncheon,  in  tent,  with  the  others  ; 
but  at  night  we  were  to  be  at  the  hotel  in  Jericho. 
There  are  two  hotels,  the  Jordan  and  the  Bellevue. 
We  went  to  the  latter,  a  small  house,  but  very  neat, 
and  Oriental  from  the  word  go.  We  were  there  two 
nights ;  and  I,  for  one,  should  have  been  glad  to  have 
stayed  longer.  The  only  out  was  that  the  dogs  and 
jackals  made  things  lively  nights.  One  gentleman 
of  our  party  got  up,  and  shouted  out  of  the  window 
for  them  to  get  out  of  the  way  and  stop  their  noise, 
but  the  effect,  seemingly,  was  to  wake  up  more  dogs, 
and  the  music  was  increased  instead  of  being  dimin- 
ished ;  but  I  am  rather  a  friend  of  the  canines,  and 
those  troubles  rest  very  lightly  on  my  shoulders. 


SON    OF    A    SHEIK. 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  7$ 

Now,  if  you  would  like  a  dim  picture  of  this  first 
camping  tour,  you  had  better  meet  me  at  the  Jeru- 
salem hotel  early  Thursday  morning,  April  19. 
First  there  was  an  array  of  saddle  horses  brought 
into  the  yard  for  us  to  select  from,  grays,  bays,  and 
blacks.  The  members  from  Springfield  chose  a  pair 
of  bay  geldings  that  had  been  used  to  following  each 
other.  We  have  two  ladies  that  cannot  endure  the 
horseback  riding,  and  have  palanquins. 

About  6.30  A.M.  the  straps  were  all  buckled,  and 
we  were  on  our  horses,  moving  down  toward  the 
Jaffa  gate,  where  we  met  the  rest  of  the  party ;  and 
then  we  moved  north  outside  the  old  walls,  passing 
the  Damascus  gate,  then  turning  east,  which  brings 
us  into  the  valley  of  Kedron  or  Jehosaphat,  as  it  is 
sometimes  called.  Passing  along  the  edge  of  Geth- 
semane,  look  up  at  the  right,  and  you  have  a  fine 
view  of  the  eastern  wall  of  Jerusalem.  At  the  left 
you  look  up  Mount  Olivet,  and  see  the  road  David 
went  barefooted,  when  he  fled  the  city  in  time  of 
Absalom's  rebellion.  We  passed  the  place  where 
Stephen  was  stoned,  the  pool  of  Siloam,  Absalom's 
tomb,  also  the  tomb  of  Zechariah. 

Through  this  section  we  encountered  the  greatest 
number  of  lepers  and  beggars  in  the  most  pitiable 
condition,  sitting  beside  the  roadway,  pouring  forth 
their  cries  and  lamentations.  But  we  are  soon 
past  all  this,  and  begin  to  wind  our  way  around 
the  brow  of  Olivet.  In  less  than  an  hour  from  start- 
ing we  are  at  the  little  village  of  Bethany,  which  is 
located  the  other  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  from 
Jerusalem.     Here  seems  to  be  a  valley  coming  up 


76  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

from  the  south  ;  and  at  the  head  of  this  valley,  in 
a  semicircle,  lies  nestled  the  little  town  of  Bethany, 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Olivet.  We  saw  the  spot 
where  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus  lived,  saw  the 
tomb  of  the  latter,  could  almost  feel  on  our  brow 
the  warm  Christian  atmosphere  that  pervaded  that 
place  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  that 
made  it  so  attractive  to  the  Saviour  of  mankind.  We 
were  pointed  out  the  place  where  Simon  the  leper 
lived. 

From  this  place  to  Jericho,  some  eighteen  miles, 
we  pass  only  one  place  where  anybody  lives.  Jeri- 
cho, located  on  the  plains  of  the  Jordan,  is  four  thou- 
sand feet  lower  than  Jerusalem,  hence  the  expres- 
sion "going  down  to  Jericho." 

The  plains  of  the  Dead  Sea  are  thirteen  hundred 
feet  lower  than  the  ocean,  and  is  the  lowest  land  in 
the  world.  As  we  pass  on  from  Bethany,  we  go 
winding  our  way  down  those  narrow  ravines,  hills 
and  mountains  each  side,  with  many  caves  for  the 
robbers.  On  the  side  of  these  mountains  are  the 
shepherds,  with  their  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep. 
About  half-past  ten  we  come  to  the  only  residence 
on  the  road,  being  on  a  somewhat  elevated  spot. 
Here  we  stop  for  lunch.  Tradition  says  here  was 
the  inn  where  the  Samaritan  left  the  wounded  man. 
We  took  little  stock  in  that.  However,  we  laid  a  man 
across  a  donkey's  back,  with  a  good  Samaritan  stand- 
ing beside  him,  and  got  a  snap  shot  at  them  with  a 
kodak.  With  our  lunch  we  had  water  taken  from 
the  brook  Cherith. 

Soon  after  we  started,  we  visited  the  spot  where 
Elijah  was  fed  by  the  ravens. 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  L^AiXD  77 

From  this  time  to  the  Jordan  valley  the  moun- 
tains and  hills  looked  arid  and  barren,  having  a 
chalky  appearance  ;  and  the  gorges  along  which  we 
passed  were  fearfully  deep,  and  had,  no  doubt,  been 
cut  down  by  the  water. 

About  four  o'clock  we  reached  the  plain,  turned 
to  the  left,  and  went  up  to  the  fountain  of  Elisha, 
that  he  healed  of  its  bitter  qualities.  This  is  near 
the  mountains,  boils  up  from  the  ground,  running 
away  quite  a  large  stream.  We  were  thirsty,  and 
drank  heartily,  finding  a  good  quality  of  water. 
Here  is  supposed  to  be  the  old  site  of  Jericho,  which 
was  shaken  down,  and  a  curse  pronounced  on  any 
one  that  should  attempt  to  rebuild.  There  was  any 
amount  of  stones  and  rubbish  about  there,  but  we 
saw  nothing  of  any  rams'  horns. 

About  a  mile  south  of  this  place  is  the  Jericho  of 
Christ's  day,  with  some  new  buildings  added.  We 
were  shown  an  old  stone  house,  or  the  ruins  of  one, 
that  is  claimed  to  be  the  house  of  Zaccheus.  They 
also  pointed  out  the  tree  he  climbed  to  see  the  Lord. 
It  might  have  been  a  descendant  from  the  original 
one,  but  that  is  as  far  as  we  should  care  to  go. 

At  Jericho  we  stopped  for  the  night,  some  in 
hotels,  others  in  tents. 

Friday  our  day's  work  was  to  go  to  the  shore  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  and  from  there  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  Jordan,  where  the  children  of  Israel  crossed, 
and  Elijah  divided  up  the  waters  as  he  went  up  in 
his  chariot,  also  where  Christ  was  baptized.  We 
found  the  Dead  Sea  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  clear 
as  crystal.     Some  of  the  party  went  in  bathing.     It 


78  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

is  said  to  contain  some  fifteen  per  cent,  more  salt 
than  the  ocean,  and  is  heavier  per  cubic  foot  than 
the  human  body.  From  these  plains  you  can  see 
across  the  sea  and  river  the  hills  of  Moab,  Mount 
Nebo  and  Pisgah,  where  Moses  was  allowed  to  go 
to  look  into  the  promised  land.  We  took  our  lunch 
on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  had  the  water  from  the 
river  to  drink.  Some  crossed  the  river,  which  is 
about  a  hundred  feet  wide  and  quite  swift  in  its 
current,  in  boats.  On  our  return  to  Jericho  for  the 
night  we  crossed  the  old  site  of  Gilgal,  where  the 
children  of  Israel  first  camped,  also  the  valley  of 
Achor,  where  Achan  and  family  were  stoned.  If  the 
deed  had  to  be  done,  they  could  not  have  found  a 
better  place  ;  for  there  is  plenty  of  material  close  at 
hand. 

The  plains  of  the  Jordan  are  not  as  fertile  as  we 
expected  to  find  them,  not  like  the  Nile  valley. 
They  are  probably  worn  out,  and  were  more  fertile 
in  the  days  of  Abraham  and  Lot ;  for  here  was  the 
place  where  Abraham  told  Lot  to  choose  which  way 
he  would  go,  and  he,  seeing  the  well-watered  plains 
of  Jordan,  pitched  his  tent  toward  Sodom,  the  loca- 
tion of  which  was  where  the  Dead  Sea  now  is,  or 
plains  this  side.  If  it  were  sunk,  then  the  sea  is  the 
place  ;  but  there  is  an  appearance  of  a  ruined  city  this 
side  on  the  plain,  and  I  think  we  had  better  call  that 
the  spot.  In  either  case  the  mountains  are  near  at 
hand  where  Lot  went  for  safety. 

Saturday  we  were  in  the  saddle  early,  and  con- 
tinued our  return  until  we  reached  Bethany.  Met  on 
our  way  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Germany.     They 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  79 

were  going  over  the  same  route  we  had  just  taken. 
We  stopped  some  two  hours  for  lunch  at  Bethany. 
Then,  instead  of  going  around  the  brow  of  the  Mount 
of  OHves  as  we  came,  we  went  over  the  old  road, 
over  the  top,  and  came  down  the  same  pathway  the 
Saviour  came  on  his  triumphal  entry,  and  where  he 
wept  as  he  beheld  the  city  in  its  wickedness,  from 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  You  get  a  fine  view  of  the 
city. 

T'here  has  been  a  church  built  within  a  few  years, 
beside  it  a  very  high  tower.  Up  this  tower  we 
went,  giving  us  a  view  of  the  whole  surrounding 
country.  At  the  base  of  Olivet  we  visited  the 
Garden  of  Gethsemane,  then  followed  down  the 
valley  of  Kedron,  to  where  the  valley  of  Hinnom 
intercepts  it,  then  up  the  Gihon  valley  to  our  hotel. 
This  took  us  entirely  around  the  walled  part  of  the 
city.  While  at  lunch  at  Bethany,  some  soldiers  went 
by  with  some  robbers  that  had  been  captured,  that 
were  chained  together,  walking.  The  soldiers  were 
on  horseback,  taking  them  to  prison. 

Sunday,  the  21st,  has  been  a  day  of  rest.  The 
Congregational  party  held  service  at  9.30  on  Mount 
Calvary,  a  small  elevation  just  outside  the  city  walls. 
Rev.  Mr.  Clark,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  conducted  the  ser- 
vices, which  were  very  impressive.  The  American 
consul,  Mr.  Wallace,  a  young  gentleman,  and  his 
wife  were  there,  and  at  the  close  spoke  beautifully. 
At  the  foot  of  Mount  Calvary  is  a  plot  of  ground 
that  evidently  was  at  one  time  used  for  a  garden. 
By  excavating  an  embankment  at  the  end  of  this 
garden,  some  two  years  ago,   General   Gordon   dis- 


8o  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

covered  a  tomb  that  has  every  evidence  of  being  the 
tomb  where  Christ  was  laid.  While  there  was  room 
for  four,  there  never  had  been  but  one  of  the  niches 
occupied  ;  and  the  top  or  stone  cover  of  this  had 
never  been  sealed.  Christ,  you  know,  was  anointed 
for  burial.  Had  he  not  risen,  this  covering  stone 
would  have  been  sealed.  While  the  Mohammedans 
have  his  tomb  in  the  city,  yet  we  know  the  Script- 
ures do  not  warrant  any  such  thing.  Jerusalem  has 
nothing  that  will  impress  the  Bible  scholar  as  Cal- 
vary and  the  tomb  at  the  head  of  this  garden.  We 
remain  here  until  Wednesday,  going  to  Bethlehem, 
and  return  Tuesday. 

About  one  year  ago  there  was  much  in  the  daily 
papers  in  America  about  a  strange  young  man  from 
the  West  that  had  made  a  wager  of  ;^  10,000  that  he 
would  go  to  Jerusalem  in  twelve  months'  time,  start- 
ing without  a  cent  of  money,  and  would  not  ask  for 
money  the  whole  distance.  He  started  from  Gal- 
veston, Tex.  I  never  even  dreamed  of  seeing  this 
strange  young  man,  as  he  was  called  ;  but,  strange  as 
it  may  seem,  he  put  in  an  appearance  at  the  Jerusa- 
lem Hotel  last  Saturday.  He  has  been  on  the  road 
ten  months  and  twenty  days.  His  name  is  P.  P. 
Killiner,  is  a  regular  cow-boy,  has  leather  suit  of 
clothes,  made  by  the  Indians  out  of  antelope  skins, 
with  fringes  of  leather  on  all  the  seams.  He  has 
walked  thirty-five  hundred  miles,  sold  his  photograph, 
letting  people  pay  him  whatever  they  pleased.  They 
got  up  quite  an  excitement  over  him  in  New  York, 
and  gave  him  money  enough  to  cross  the  ocean. 
When  he  went  down  to  take  the  boat,  they  crowded 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  8 1 

the  Street  so  full  it  was  impossible  to  move  He 
attended  services  with  the  Congregational  party 
iMinday,  and  went  with  them  over  Mount  Moriah 
Monday. 


III. 


Jerusalem,  April  22,  1895. 
Bethlehem  is  one  of  the  old  landmarks  of  Pales- 
tine full  of  historical  interest.     This  was  the  home 
of  David's  relations,  and  is  located  some  six  miles 
south  of  Jerusalem,   and  is  about   the  same  height 
above  the  sea  as  the  hill  of  Zion.     As  you  leave  the 
Jatta  gate,  you  pass  down  and  across  the  valley  of 
Gihon,  coming  up  near  the  hill  of  Evil  Counsel  (so 
called  because  at  that  place  they  took  counsel  against 
Christ)  and  soon  are  on  the  plain  of  Rephaim,  where 
David  fought  the  Philistines;  and,  judging  from  the 
broad  sweep  of  the  plain,  it  must  have  been  a  hand- 
to-hand   fight.      Here   is   where   David    refused  to 
drink  the  water  he  so  thirsted  for,  brought  from  the 
spring  near  Bethlehem,  because  it  was  done  at  the 
risk  of  the  lives  of  his  men  that  procured  it. 

Before  I  take  you  any  further,  it  might  be  well  for 
you  to  look  at  the  surrounding  country  of  Jerusalem 
I  you  stand  on  the  hill  of  Zion  (or  perhaps  a  better 
place  would  be  the  Mount  of  Olivet),  no  one  point  of 
compass  will  attract  the  eye  more  than  looking  south 
toward  Bethlehem.  As  I  have  told  you  before,  the 
country  here  is  made  up  of  hills  and  valleys,  eleva- 
tions and  depressions,  rugged  and  rocky  at  that,  yet 
the  mingling  of  the  olive,  almond,  fig,  orange,  and 


82  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

lemon  groves,  gives  it  a  beauty  that  attracts  the  eye  ; 
and,  while  you  cannot  see  Bethlehem  from  where 
you  are  standing,  yet,  if  drawn  by  the  love  of  the 
beautiful,  your  first  outing  from  the  city  will  be  in 
that  direction.  I  have  given  you  a  view  from  a  dis- 
tance. When  you  plant  your  feet  on  this  beautiful 
country  my  eye  has  taken  in,  you  will  exclaim,  "  My, 
how  rocky ! " 

After  we  leave  the  plain  of  Rephaim,  we  come  to 
the  tomb  of  Rachel.  For  a  wonder  the  Mohamme- 
dans, Greeks,  and  Latins  all  worship  Rachel ;  and  the 
day  we  went  to  Bethlehem  was  a  special  day,  and 
they  were  all  rushing  to  the  tomb  to  weep  for  her. 
The  tomb  is  a  white  building,  standing  close  to  the 
travelled  road,  the  front  an  arched  portico  or  en- 
trance. Then  you  step  down  some  half-dozen  steps 
into  a  square  apartment,  perhaps  twenty  feet  each 
way.  In  the  centre  is  built  up  the  receptacle  for 
the  body,  six  feet  high,  eight  feet  long,  four  feet 
wide,  giving  a  chance  to  pass  around  it.  Here  the 
people  come  with  their  Hebrew  Bibles,  reading 
Jacob's  lamentation,  and  crying  as  if  their  poor 
hearts  would  break,  kissing  the  tomb,  etc.  They 
remain  a  short  time,  and  then  others  take  their 
places.  We  passed  around  with  others,  but  could 
not  in  so  short  a  time  get  into  the  spirit  of  the 
worship. 

In  passing  through  this  country  as  well  as  Egypt, 
the  traditions  and  the  queer  things  the  ignorant  peo- 
ple will  show  and  relate  to  you  about  the  old  saints 
and  prophets  will  make  you  tired. 

For  example,  just  beyond  Rachel's  tomb  is  a  flat 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  '^t, 

rock  ;  and  it  looks  as  though  a  man  had  been  on  his 
back  and  had  sunk  into  the  stone  some  four  inches. 
The  people  will  show  it  to  you,  and  tell  you  it  was 
where  Elijah  slept  the  first  night  after  he  fled  from 
Jezebel.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many  foolish 
things  they  have  on  the  brain.  But,  if  you  will  take 
profane  and  religious  history  in  one  hand  and  com- 
mon sense  in  the  other,  you  will  find  things  that  will 
inte;-est  you  at  every  turn  you  make,  and  will  have 
all  you  can  carry  away  with  you. 

A  little  farther  on  we  turn  to  the  left,  and  in  a 
short  time  are  at  Solomon's  pools.  They  are  three 
in  number,  built  by  the  wise  man  ;  and  from  these 
the  water  was  taken  into  Jerusalem. 

From  the  pools  we  drove  to  Bethlehem,  a  place 
of  some  eight  thousand  people,  largely  Christians. 
They  are  tillers  of  the  soil.  Herding  of  cattle  is 
a  large  business  with  them.  They  manufacture 
rosaries,  crosses,  and  other  fancy  articles  in  wood, 
mother-of-pearl,  and  stone  from  the  Dead  Sea.  It  is 
quite  a  market  town  for  the  Bedouins  and  peasants 
from  the  surrounding  country.  There  is  a  very  old 
church  built  over  the  spot  where  Christ  was  born, 
and  they  will  show  you  the  place  where  Joseph  was 
when  the  angel  warned  him  to  flee  into  Egypt. 

We  visited  an  underground  apartment,  or  nearly 
so,  where  Saint  Jerome  translated  the  Hebrew  Bible 
into  the  Latin  (the  Vulgate).  Saint  Jerome  was  born 
of  pagan  parents  in  331,  and  was  afterward  baptized 
at  Rome.  While  journeying  in  the  East,  he  had  a 
vision  at  Antioch,  commanding  him  to  renounce  the 
study  of  heathen  writers,  which  he  did,  and  finally 


84  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

took  up  his  abode  at  Bethlehem.  Here  you  will  see 
a  painting  of  him,  with  a  Bible  in  his  hand.  Joab, 
Asahel,  and  Abishai  once  resided  here  at  Bethlehem. 
(See  2  Samuel  ii.  i8.)  In  the  eyes  of  the  prophets 
Bethlehem  was  especially  sacred  as  the  home  of  the 
family  of  David,  but  the  one  great  and  lasting  tri- 
umph for  that  little  town  was  the  birth  and  humble 
beginning  of  one  who  is  to  conquer  sin. 


IV. 

Some  four  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  Joshua  led 
the  children  of  Israel  through  the  divided  waters  of 
the  Jordan,  and  with  his  military  forces  swept  up  the 
Jordan  valley  and  up  through  the  hills  of  Judea,  de- 
stroying those  heathen  nations, —  when  these  four 
hundred  and  fifty  years  had  been  placed  on  the  tablet 
of  time  King  David  appeared  on  the  scene,  with  Joab 
as  his  major-general.  Mount  Zion  was  then  called 
Jebus,  and  the  people  were  called  Jebusites. 

King  David  made  an  attack,  capturing  the  city, 
Joab  being  the  first  man  to  enter. 

Josephus  claims  that  Melchizedek  once  lived  here. 
On  Mount  Zion  David  built  his  palace,  this  being 
the  whole  of  the  city. 

Thirty-seven  years  later  the  foundation  of  the 
temple  was  laid  on  Mount  Moriah.  These  two  eleva- 
tions are  divided  by  the  Tryphon  valley,  and  were  at 
one  time  connected  by  a  bridge. 

On  Mount  Moriah  Oman  had  his  threshing-floor, 
and  it  was  also  the  spot  where  Abraham  offered  up 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  85 

Isaac.  Mount  Zion  became  the  civil  capital  of  the 
nation,  and  Mount  Moriah  the  sacred  capital.  Jerusa- 
lem attained  its  greatest  power  during  Solomon's 
reign,  but  this  was  largely  lost  by  the  revolt  of  Jero- 
boam. 

It  passed  through  many  changes  of  fortune,  until 
five  hundred  and  eighty-eight  years  before  Christ, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and 
the,  Jews  were  taken  into  captivity.  Jerusalem  re- 
mained a  heap  of  ruins  until  Cyrus  allowed  the  Jews 
to  return,  guided  by  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  and  for 
many  years,  until  Grecian  power  became  strong  in 
Western  Asia,  Syria  and  Palestine  were  governed 
by  Persian  satraps  in  Damascus ;  yet  the  Jewish 
priest  had  much  liberty. 

Some  three  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  Christ, 
after  the  battle  of  Issus,  Palestine  fell  under  the  do- 
minion of  Alexander  the  Great.  That  illustrious 
monarch  appeared  one  day  before  Jerusalem  on  the 
hills  to  the  north-west,  where  now  stand  the  Russian 
buildings ;  and  a  solemn  procession,  headed  by  the 
high  priest,  clad  in  pontifical  robe,  marched  out  to 
meet  him.  As  soon  as  the  monarch  saw  them,  he  ad- 
vanced, and  reverently  saluted  the  sacred  name  in- 
scribed on  the  priest's  mitre,  saying,  "  I  adore  not 
the  man,  but  the  God  with  whose  priesthood  he  is 
honored.  When  in  Macedonia,  pondering  how  to 
subdue  Asia,  I  saw  this  figure  in  a  dream,  and  he  en- 
couraged me  to  advance,  promising  to  give  me  the 
Persian  empire.  I  look  upon  this  as  an  omen  that 
I  have  undertaken  the  expedition  by  divine  com- 
mand,   and     success    will    be    mine."       Alexander 


86  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

granted  the  Jews  many  privileges ;  and  after  his 
death  Jerusalem  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Ptolemies 
of  Egypt,  under  whose  mild  rule  it  remained  over 
two  hundred  years,  when  it  was  plundered  and  de- 
filed by  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  Two  years  later  he 
sent  his  general,  Apollonius,  to  complete  the  work ; 
and  all  the  able-bodied  men  were  slain,  and  the 
women  and  children  sold  into  slavery. 

Then  arose  the  priestly  family  of  Asmones  to 
revenge  their  injuries  and  vindicate  the  honor  of 
their  God.  This  warfare  lasted  until  thirty-four  years 
before  Christ,  when  Herod  the  Great  was  appointed 
ruler  of  the  Jews.  In  the  year  70  the  Romans 
stormed  the  city,  and  killed  more  than  a  million  Jews 
(this  number  is  given  by  Josephus),  and  razed  the 
temple  to  the  ground. 

Wars  and  fighting  went  on  until  636,  when  Omar 
captured  the  city,  and  ordered  the  mosque  of  Omar 
built.  Jerusalem  was  taken  by  the  Crusaders  in  1229  ; 
and  in  1243  it  was  secured  by  the  Moslems,  and  has 
been  in  their  power  ever  since.  The  last  few  years 
the  Jews  have  been  returning,  and  have  settled  largely 
outside  the  city  walls  at  the  north-west.  The  Rus- 
sian Jews  have  some  fine  buildings.  Within  the 
walls  the  city  is  dirty.  Many  of  the  streets  are 
arched,  and  lined  with  bazaars.  Zion  Street  runs 
from  the  Jaffa  gate  through  the  city.  David  Street 
is  another  of  the  main  streets.  The  city  seems  di- 
vided into  four  sections,  each  section  being  occupied 
by  different  religious  sects, —  Mohammedans,  Latins, 
Christians,  and  Armenians.  The  city  is  poorly 
watered,   only  two   nearly  dried    up  fountains  they 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  87 

depend  on.     Cisterns  catch  the  water  from  the  roofs 
of  the  buildings.     Lumber  is  a  scarce  article.     The 
buildings    are   nearly  all   stone;   and,   from   appear- 
ances, the  inhabitants  of  that  country  are  more  effi- 
cient in  working  on  stone  than  on  any  other  material. 
The  stones  in  the  old  walls  of  Jerusalem,  laid  without 
mortar  or  cement,  are  fitted  so  closely  that  you  can 
hardly  tell  where  they  are  joined  together, —  perfect 
joints.     From  the  Mount  of  Olives  you  get  the  finest 
view  of  the  city.     It  is  composed  of  four  elevations, 
Mount  Moriah,  Zion,  Ackra,  and  Bezetha,  the  two 
former  lying  to  the  east  and  the  most  prominent,  and 
rich  with  historical  interest.     No  city  in  the  world 
so    thrills    the    soul  as  the  one  that  has   within  its 
bosom  Mount  Zion  and  Mount  Moriah.     While  you 
may  not  believe  all  that  the  native  tells  you  about 
the  exact  localities  of  the  thrilling  scenes  of  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago,  yet  you  know  you  are  near  the 
spot  where  the  King  of  kings  yielded  to  the  will  of 
the  Father,  triumphed  over  death,  led  captivity  cap- 
tive, and  established  a  kingdom  that  Satan  has  not 
been   able  to  prevail  against.     You  can  go  to  the 
house  of  Caiphas  where  they  took  Christ  the  night 
of  the  betrayal.     They  will  show  you  where  Peter 
sat  when  he  denied  his  Master.     From  there  it  is 
not  very  far  to  Pilate's  judgment  hall.     When  that 
was  rebuilt,  it  is  evident  they  dug  down  to  the  old 
foundation;    and  you    can,   no    doubt,   stand    where 
Christ   stood   when   before   Pilate,  you   can   see   the 
stone  upon  which  Pilate  stood  when  he  pronounced 
judgment.     This   building  is   now   occupied   by  the 
Latin    Sisters.     They  will    also    show  you    the  way 


SS  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

Christ  was  led  out  to  be  crucified,  where  he  fell  with 
the  cross,  where  he  spoke  to  the  women  and  told 
them  not  to  weep  for  him,  but  weep  for  them- 
selves, etc. 

On  Mount  Moriah  stood  Solomon's  temple  and  pal- 
ace, said  to  cover  —  with  all  its  courts  and  append- 
ages —  acres,  some  say  thirty.  The  mosque  of  Omar 
now  stands  on  Mount  Moriah.  Though  not  so  large 
as  the  temple,  yet  its  symmetrical  architecture,  beau- 
tiful stained  glass,  tiling,  etc.,  will  fill  you  with  ad- 
miration. There  is  no  mosque  in  the  Turkish  em- 
pire that  surpasses  it  in  beauty. 

In  the  mosque  is  the  dome  of  the  rock,  with  its 
steps  leading  up  to  it,  with  the  hole  in  the  centre 
where  the  blood  went  in  time  of  sacrifice,  being  con- 
nected by  a  subterranean  passage  to  the  Kedron 
valley.  This  rock  is  fifty-seven  by  forty-three  feet, 
and  six  and  one-half  feet  high.  It  is  held  wonder- 
fully sacred  by  the  Mussulmans.  They  claim  that 
Mohammed  went  up  from  this  rock,  and  the  rock 
.started  to  follow  him;  but  the  angel  Gabriel  put  his 
hand  on  it,  and  stopped  it.  The  Armenian  convent, 
one  of  the  largest  buildings  in  the  city,  is  said  to 
hold  eight  thousand.  We  were  shown  the  Church 
of  St.  James,  said  to  mark  the  site  where  he  was 
killed  by  Herod  (Acts  xii.  i,  2).  It  contains  his 
tomb  and  chair,  also  three  stones,  one  from  Mount 
Sinai  where  Moses  received  the  law,  one  from  the 
Jordan  where  the  children  of  Israel  crossed,  and  one 
from  Mount  Tabor  where,  some  think,  the  transfigu- 
ration took  place.  Near  the  Damascus  gate  you  can 
enter  a  subterranean  passage  where  there  have  been 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  89 

thousands  upon  thousands  of  stone  quarried  here. 
You  take  Hghts,  and  walk  miles  under  the  city. 
Stone  has  been  taken  out  here  for  building  and  re- 
building Jerusalem.  You  can  enter  a  building  in 
which  is  David's  tomb,  which  they  will  not  allow  you 
to  see  ;  but  you  may  visit  a  room  above,  called  the 
Coenaculum.  It  is  fifty  by  thirty  feet ;  and  here  it  is 
claimed  that  Christ  instituted  the  Lord's  Supper, 
where  the  apostles  were  gathered  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, when  Peter  in  his  sermon  referred  to  the 
tomb  of  David  as  being  with  them  (Acts  ii.  29). 

You  can  take  Baedeker  or  a  good  guide  with  you, 
and  travel  days  in  the  city  with  great  interest. 

Friday  is  the  day  to  visit  the  Jews'  wailing-place 
in  the  Tyropoeon  valley,  by  the  walls  of  the  city, 
and  near  where  the  temple  stood.  Here  they  read 
the  old  prophecies  and  promises,  and  weep,  to  all 
appearances,  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts,  evi- 
dently sincere  mourners  over  the  destruction  of 
their  city,  and  the  scattering  of  their  people  to  the 
four  corners  of  the  earth.  They  believe,  no  doubt, 
that  they  are  to  be  gathered  together,  and  re-estab- 
lished in  the  Holy  City  some  time  in  the  future. 

Jerusalem  is  situated  high  upon  the  hills  of  Judah, 
with  her  foundations  of  granite ;  and,  as  you  stand 
on  Olivet,  you  view  her  palaces  and  the  surrounding 
country,  with  its  hills  ribbed  with  lime-rock,  granite, 
and  marble,  and  you  admire  it,  for  it  was  once  the 
Holy  City.  But  I  am  confident,  if  David  had  seen 
old  Vermont  clothed  in  her  beautiful  garments  as 
she  is  in  summer  time,  he  would  never  have  settled 
down  in  Jerusalem. 


9°  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

But  the  die  was  cast,  and  Jerusalem  was  and  is  to 
be  the  religious  centre  of  the  world.  Around  it 
clusters  sacred  memories.  From  its  Mount  Calvary 
went  forth  a  power  that  rent  the  rocks  asunder. 
From  this  centre  went  forth  the  great  reformation 
and  the  uplifting  of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is 
a  joy  to  every  Christian  to  stand  on  Olivet,  to  walk 
through  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  over  Calvary 
and  Mount  Zion  :  it  will  add  a  richness  to  the  study 
of  the  holy  Scriptures.  It  is  an  old  saying,  "  See 
Naples,  and  die."  There  is  a  mistake.  The  phrase- 
ology should  be  different :  ''Don't  die,  unless  you  are 
obliged  to,  until  you  have  seen  Naples."  I  would 
say  the  same  in  regard  to  Palestine  and  the  Holy 
Land. 

Our  stay  in  and  about  Jerusalem  has  been  exceed- 
ingly interesting,  and  we  shall  study  the  Scriptures 
with  greater  interest  than  ever  before. 

We  start  the  24th  on  our  long  camping  tour  from 
here  to  Beyrout.  I  shall  write  up  as  I  go  along  the 
route,  but  shall  not  mail  it  until  we  reach  our  desti- 
nation, which  will  be  May  11. 


V. 

April  25,  1895. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  the  24th,  at  Jerusalem, 
we  headed  our  horses  due  north,  commencing  our 
long  camping  tour  of  eighteen  days  from  Jerusalem 
to  Beyrout,  getting  a  view  of  old  historic  relics  and 
towers  that  cannot  be  reached  in  any  other  way; 
that  is,  over  a  road  that  is  either  foot  or  horseback, 
and  hotels  are  rocky,  few,  and  far  between. 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY    LAND  9^ 

After  crossing  the  Kedron  valley,  we  commenced 
to  climb  hills  and  descend  into  valleys,  and  soon 
were  on  what  is  called  the  Damascus  road ;  that  is, 
if  it  can  be  called  a  road.  Our  first  elevation  was 
over  Mount  Scopus.  Here  was  where  Titus's  camp 
was  pitched.  Here  the  doom  of  the  Holy  City  was 
decreed.  We  thought  of  the  holy  family  pursuing 
their  way  from  the  great  religious  festivals  to  Naz- 
areth. We  passed  Bier,  where  tradition  says  the 
holy*  child  was  first  missed. 

Our  first  halt  was  some  two  miles  out  from  Jeru- 
salem, at  the  tombs  of  the  kings  ;  and,  as  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  journey,  we  found  the  ascending  and 
descending  growing  in  steepness,  the  rocks  and 
ledges  fearful.  We  thought  of  General  Putnam 
riding  down  the  stone  steps,  and  decided  that  we 
could  put  the  general  in  the  shade.  The  horses 
here  are  trained  for  these  roads,  and  are  sure-footed. 
Let  them  have  the  reins,  and  they  will  take  you  to 
the  bottom  of  -the  hill  in  safety,  over  places  you 
would  hardly  dare  go  down  on  foot.  The  horses  are 
shod  with  a  flat  shoe  that  nearly  covers  the  whole 
foot,  and  it  is  a  mystery  how  they  stand  on  the 
ledges  as  they  do.  Woe  to  the  man  that  attempts 
to  ride  an  American  horse  over  the  roads  we  have 
travelled  ! 

As  we  passed  on  from  Mount  Scopus,  we  see  to 
«ur  right,  upon  a  hill-top,  the  town  of  Ramah,  where 
Samuel  was  born  and  buried.  Farther  on  we  passed 
the  town  of  Ophrah,  the  home  of  Gideon,  but  saw 
nothing  of  the  men  that  lapped  water.  About  eleven 
o'clock  we    go   down   into  the  valley,  and   find   our 


92  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

lunch-tent  pitched  in  a  green  place,  once  a  reservoir, 
and  find  it  to  be  the  town  of  Bethel.  Here  was  the 
spot  where  Abraham  and  Jacob  watered  their  flocks, 
and  Jacob  set  up  the  pillar  of  stones  at  this  place. 
Here  was  where  Jeroboam  set  up  his  false  worship, 
which  proved  a  thorn  in  the  sides  of  the  Jewish 
kings,  having  an  unfriendly  capital  so  near  Mount 
Zion,  with  the  golden  calf  ready  to  attract  the  loose- 
minded. 

The  ways  of  sin  are  always  more  attractive  than 
the  ways  of  righteousness  to  the  thoughtless  and  in- 
different. 

We  rested  ourselves  and  horses  here  some  two 
hours,  and  then  were  in  the  saddle  four  hours,  bring- 
ing us  into  a  pleasant  valley,  near  a  little  town  with- 
out historic  interest,  and  where  we  tented  for  the 
night.  Table  cTJiote  was  good,  and  a  good  night's 
rest  was  the  verdict  in  the  morning ;  and  we  moved 
on,  and  soon  halted  at  Shiloh,  located  on  high 
ground,  commanding  a  fine  view.  Here  was  where 
the  ark  of  God  rested  twenty  years  ;  and  here  was 
where  Eli  died.  All  there  is  left  to-day  are  founda- 
tion walls,  ruins,  and  an  historic  name.  We  found 
the  travelling  better  to-day  than  the  day  we  started, 
which  we  enjoyed  as  travellers  in  a  strange  land. 

While  we  were  upon  the  mountains  a  part  of  the 
time,  yet  we  passed  through  some  beautiful  valleys. 
Rev.  Mr.  Green,  formerly  of  Hartford,  Vt.,  to  whom 
I  have  referred  before  as  a  botanist,  travelling  here, 
informed  us  that  there  were  fifteen  hundred  varieties 
of  wild  flowers.  The  fields  of  Palestine  are  full  of 
them.     In  many  places  you  will  see  beautiful  green 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  93 

tapestry,  full  of  flowers.  This  might  be  called  the 
flowery  kingdom  ;  and  we  got  many  beautiful  land- 
scape views. 

On  we  ride,  feasting  our  eyes  ;  and  at  twelve 
o'clock  we  halt  at  Jacob's  well  for  lunch.  Here  was 
where  the  Saviour  talked  with  the  women  of  Samaria, 
where  he  spoke  to  his  disciples  of  the  fields  being 
ripe  for  the  harvest ;  and  we  imagined  he  saw  the 
fields  as  we  can  see  them  to-day.  As  you  stand  at 
the  well,  facing  east,  you  have  thousands  of  acres  of 
beautiful  plain  land  before  you,  covered  with  waving 
grain  nearly  ready  for  the  sickle.  We  halted  at  this 
lovely  spot  some  three  hours.  A  few  minutes'  walk 
north  from  our  tent  brings  you  to  the  tomb  of  Joseph, 
who  was  the  son  of  Jacob.  You  well  remember  that 
his  bones  were  brought  here  and  buried.  We  have 
been  travelling  north  through  historic  grounds, 
where  the  old  patriarchs  had  roamed  with  their 
herds,  passed  the  town  of  Dothan,  where  Jacob  sent 
his  son  Joseph  to  look  after  his  brothers,  and  crossed 
the  track  of  the  caravan  going  to  Egypt,  taking 
Joseph  with  them.  It  has  been  a  panorama  of  his- 
torical events. 

When  we  are  in  the  saddle  again,  we  turn  square 
to  the  left,  going  west,  down  through  ■  the  narrow 
valley  of  Shechem,  passing  between  Mount  Gerizim 
on  our  left  and  Mount  Ebal  on  the  right.  Here  was 
where  the  people  stood  in  the  valley,  and  the  bless- 
ings were  pronounced  from  Mount  Gerizim,  and  the 
cursings  from  Mount  Ebal,  and  the  people  said, 
"Amen."  Principles  declared  there  that  have  held 
good  ever   since, —  The  ways  of   righteousness    are 


94  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

easy,  but  the  ways  of  sin  are  hard.  Here  was  where 
the  people  asked  Rehoboam  for  more  clemency ;  but 
the  foolish  boy  discarded  the  counsel  of  the  older 
men,  and  told  them  that  his  father  had  chastised 
them  with  whips,  but  he  would  with  scorpions. 

About  one  hour's  ride,  and  we  were  at  Nablous, 
the  old  town  of  Shechem,  where  we  found  our  tents 
pitched  in  a  beautiful  olive  grove ;  and  we  turned  in 
for  the  night,  being  well  satisfied  with  our  day's 
work,  this  being  the  spot  and  place,  as  you  will  see 
by  the  date,  where  I  commenced  this  letter.  This 
is  a  town  of  some  twenty  thousand  people,  strongly 
antichristian,  who  gave  us  many  scowls  as  we  passed 
through  the  town.  This  being  noted  as  a  hard 
place,  we  had  some  eight  or  ten  soldiers  from  the 
barracks  added  to  our  guard  force  for  the  night. 

The  people  here  manufacture  large  quantities  of 
olive  soap,  which  they  brought  to  our  tents  for  sale, 
also  tobacco  pouches  made  of  goat  and  sheep  skins. 
We  went  into  a  Samaritan  church,  and  saw  the 
priest,  and  bought  some  of  his  photographs.  He 
showed  us  the  five  books  of  Moses  written  on  parch- 
ment that  was  thirty-five  hundred  years  old.  Na- 
blous is  famous  for  its  great  number  of  springs  com- 
ing out  of  Mount  Gerizim,  which  are  used  along- 
down  the  valley  for  irrigation,  producing  beautiful 
fields  and  gardens.  These  springs  are  refreshing  to 
a  traveller  in  this  country,  as  there  is  a  terrible 
dearth  of  that  article  through  Palestine. 

Friday,  the  26th,  we  were  on  the  march  bright  and 
early,  passing  down  the  valley  some  two  miles  over 
a  fine  road  which  leads  to  Jaffa.     But  we  are  bound 


LETTERS    EROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  95 

for  Nazareth.  So  we  turn  to  the  right  into  a  bridle- 
path, and  begin  to  climb  ;  and,  when  you  are  near 
the  top  of  this  elevation,  cast  your  eye  to  the  south, 
looking  across  the  valley  vv^e  have  just  left  to  the  hill 
the  other  side,  and  you  will  get  the  grandest  view 
in  Palestine.  The  side  of  the  mountain  is  somewhat 
free  from  stone,  and  seems  to  be  terraced  up  the 
beautiful  slopes  with  straight,  conical,  and  crescent 
terraces,  covered  with  a  rich  verdure,  filled  with  the 
flowers  of  the  land. 

We  pass  over  this  mountain,  and  as  we  commence 
to  descend  the  other  side,  we  see  across  the  valley 
the  historical  town  of  Samaria,  standing  upon  a  high 
elevation.  We  descend  into  the  valley,  and  climb  up 
into  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  degraded-looking 
towns  we  have  been  called  upon  to  pass  through. 
We  saw  the  pool  of  Samaria  where  Ahab's  chariot 
was  washed.  Ahab  was  slain  in  his  chariot  in  battle 
and  taken  to  this  place.  Here  he  had  his  winter 
residence  with  his  ivory  palace.  We  saw  some  of 
the  foundation  and  columns,  which  is  all  that  is  left 
of  it.  We  saw  some  of  the  columns  of  the  colon- 
nade that  extended  from  the  city  gate  to  the  palace, 
some  three  thousand  feet.  We  leave  this  town, 
once  so  splendid,  feeling  that  sin  and  misery  have 
done  their  perfect  work.  The  rest  of  the  day  we  are 
passing  through  wheat  fields  and  one  of  the  largest 
olive  orchards  in  Palestine,  and  at  five  o'clock  reach 
Jenin  where  we  tent  for  the  night. 

Jenin  is  on  the  border  of  the  wonderful  valley  of 
Esdraelon.  This  town  is  modern,  but  is  said  to  be 
the  place  where  Christ  healed  the  ten  lepers.     Here 


96  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

we  saw  some  palm-trees  which  made  us  think  of 
Egypt.  It  was  a  question  whether  they  were 
strayed  or  stolen  ;  but  they  looked  thrifty,  and  we 
decided  that  the  breezes  from  the  valley  of  Esdra- 
elon  had  been  fanning  them.  This  valley  is  differ- 
ent from  the  Jordan,  being  rich  and  fertile ;  and, 
unlike  the  prairies  of  the  West,  it  has  many  conical 
hills  and  even  mountains  scattered  over  its  broad 
acres.  And,  as  in  David's  and  Solomon's  time,  Jeru- 
salem and  Mount  Zion  were  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth 
in  a  spiritual  sense,  so,  it  seems  to  me,  the  valley  of 
Esdraelon  must  have  been  the  joy  in  a  temporal 
view.  It  seems  to  be  the  great  granary  of  Palestine. 
Saturday  morning,  the  27th,  the  sun  rose  clear  and 
bright,  and  we  expected  a  scorching  day  across  the 
valley,  which  takes  nearly  all  day ;  but  the  Lord  sent 
the  clouds  to  cover  us  as  he  did  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  we  had  the  most  satisfactory  day  of  the 
week.  One  hour  from  Jenin  we  reached  Jezreel, 
standing  upon  a  high  elevation.  Here  was  Ahab's 
summer  residence,  here  also  was  Naboth's  vineyard. 
We  rode  upon  this  elevation,  left  our  saddles,  and 
looked  over  the  town,  which  now  consists  mostly  of 
mud  huts,  save  the  old  stone  palace  and  the  window 
where  Jezebel  came  down,  and  the  dogs  devoured 
her ;  and  I  have  the  impression  that  they  have  kept 
in  Palestine  the  same  breed  of  dogs  ever  since,  for 
we  find  here  the  meanest  dogs  in  the  world.  They 
seem  to  delight  in  barking  nights,  keeping  poor 
mortals  awake.  If  some  one  could  get  at  them  with 
stones  and  knock  the  bark  off  of  them,  it  would  be  a 
blessing  to  every  one. 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  97 

Now,  if  you  will  stand  by  me  on  this  elevation  with 
your  face  northward,  looking  down  on  the  plain  at 
your  right,  you  will  see  the  fountain  of  Gideon.  In 
front  of  you  is  where  the  Midianite  forces  were 
gathered  when  Gideon  routed  them  with  his  hundred 
men.  Now  look  across  the  valley  some  three  miles 
to  another  mountain  elevation,  which  is  Little  Her- 
mon.  At  the  base  is  the  town  of  Shunem,  where 
the  woman  had  the  prophet's  chamber,  where  Elisha 
raised  the  boy  to  life.  Now  cast  your  eye  to  the 
left  some  ten  miles  distant,  and  you  see  Mount 
Carmel.  To  this  mount  the  servant  ran  for  Elisha ; 
and  the  prophet  asked,  "  Is  it  well  with  the  child } " 

We  mount  our  horses,  and  descend  from  Jezreel 
into  the  valley,  and  soon  are  at  the  town  of  Shunem. 
Going  through  the  town,  we  turn  to  the  left,  winding 
our  way  around  the  base  of  this  elevation,  reaching 
the  other  side,  where  we  find  the  town  of  Nain, 
where  Christ  raised  the  widow's  son.  Here  we  find 
our  luncheon-tent,  and  remain  here  some  two  hours. 

About  two  miles  north  of  us  is  Mount  Tabor, 
where,  it  has  been  claimed,  the  transfiguration  took 
place.  We  are  about  two  hours'  ride  from  Nazareth. 
Leaving  at  2.30,  we  soon  finish  crossing  the  valley 
of  Esdraelon,  and  go  up  a  steep  elevation  with  bad 
roads.  We  make  our  way  gradually,  rising  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain.  We  then  make  a  little 
descent  into  a  valley  almost  surrounded  by  hills,  and 
find  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Nazareth.  You  will 
call  it  a  place  of  retirement.  Here  is  a  little  valley 
with  hills  surrounding  it,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
feet  high.     At  first  sight,  you  will  say  the  plateau  of 


98  VERMONT   TO  DAMASCUS 

land  is  round  ;  but  on  close  examination  you  will 
decide  the  length  is  nearly  twice  the  width,  which,  I 
should  say,  is  less  than  a  half-mile  across.  The  build- 
ings are  not  on  this  plain,  but  are  in  crescent  form  at 
the  base  of  the  hills. 

At  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  the  plain  is  used 
as  a  common  and  for  gardens.  We  are  tented  on 
the  common  of  some  twenty-five  acres,  carpeted  with 
green  grass  and  dotted  with  flowers,  spending  the 
Sabbath  in  quiet.  Dr.  Dunning  preached  to  us  to-day 
as  we  gathered  in  front  of  our  dining-tent,  taking  for 
his  subject,  largely,  the  human  side  of  the  life  of 
Christ,  and  made  it  very  interesting.  Nowhere  could 
such  a  sermon  be  made  so  impressive  as  here,  where 
Christ's  childhood  days  were  spent.  We  have  vis- 
ited the  workshop  of  Joseph  and  the  home  of  Mary, 
the  church  of  annunciation,  where  the  angel  ap- 
peared to  Mary  the  virgin,  the  fountain,  the  syn- 
agogue where  Christ  taught ;  and  we  have  been 
through  the  bazaars  and  many  of  the  straight  and 
narrow  streets. 

Nazareth,  unlike  many  towns  in  this  region,  is 
strongly  Christian,  —  three  thousand  nine  hundred 
Christian  and  nineteen  hundred  of  other  classes,  — 
not  a  Jew  lives  here,  —  a  much  better  class  of  people 
than  we  usually  meet,  and  many  neat  and  pretty 
children,  fine-looking  women  coming  to  Mary's  foun- 
tain and  filling  their  water-jars,  that  hold  from  one 
to  two  pails.  We  found  these  jars  to  be  heavy,  and 
put  one  of  them  upon  Mrs.  Dunning's  head.  There 
were  many  of  these  women  at  the  fountain,  and 
they  seemed   to  enjoy  the  interview  we  had  with 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  99 

them ;  and  we  were  interested  to  see  them  walk  off 
with  the  jar  on  their  heads  with  such  indifference. 
•    We  came  into   Nazareth  from  the  south  over  a 
rough  road,  and  shall  go  north-east  Monday  to  Ti- 
berias, expecting  a  much  better  road. 

Monday,  the  29th. 

Our  ride  to  Tiberias  is  a  long  one.  Therefore,  we 
are  called  at  five  o'clock,  and  are  in  the  saddle  at  six, 
wending  our  way  up  the  hill  out  of  Nazareth,  taking 
with  regret  a  farewell  look  at  the  prettiest  town  we 
have  seen  yet,  since  we  placed  our  feet  in  the  land 
of  Palestine.  The  Jews  thought  no  good  thing 
could  come  out  of  this  little  town  among  the  moun- 
tains ;  but  the  stone  that  was  cut  out  of  the  moun- 
tain here  is  filling  the  whole  earth,  and  there  seems 
to  be  a  hallowed  sacredness  as  we  tread  the  same 
streets  that  were  trodden  by  Him  who  came  to  bless 
all  mankind. 

One  hour  takes  us  over  the  hill  down  into  a 
beautiful  valley  ;  and  at  one  side  of  the  valley,  nestled 
upon  the  brow  of  the  hill,  stands  the  little  village 
of  Cana.  In  front  and  around  it  are  spread  out  the 
groves  of  olives,  figs,  and  pomegranate  trees,  making 
a  beautiful  picture.  At  the  edge  of  the  town  is  a 
copious  spring,  where  they  water  their  flocks,  and 
the  maidens  come  with  their  water-jars. 

We  went  into  the  town,  and  at  the  church  we 
saw  the  old  stone  water-pots  that  were  used  at  the 
wedding  ;  and,  certainly,  they  looked  old  enough  to 
have  been  used  in  Noah's  ark. 

From  Cana  we  passed  on  through  a  beautiful  coun- 


lOO  VERMONT   TO  DAMASCUS 

try,  valleys,  and  elevations,  where  we  could  canter  our 
horses  at  pleasure.  We  passed  the  home  of  Jonah, 
and  about  ten  o'clock  came  to  the  Mount  of  Beati- 
tudes. The  day  was  hot ;  but  old  snow-capped  Her- 
mon,  towering  up  nine  thousand  feet,  seemingly  a 
short  distance  to  our  left,  seemed  to  nod  his  head  to 
us,  saying,  ''Keep  cool." 

The  place  where  it  is  supposed  Christ  preached 
his  wonderful  sermon  is  a  small,  conical  hill,  some 
fifty  feet  high,  with  the  ground  gradually  sloping 
from  it,  and  is  beautiful  to  look  upon.  Whether  this 
is  the  place  or  some  other  elevation  near  here 
makes  but  little  difference.  We  have  the  sermon, 
rich  in  thought, —  principles  laid  down,  that  are,  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations ;  and  it  seems  as  though 
Nature  in  her  beauty  in  this  locality  responded  to 
those  teachings,  and  said,  "Amen,"  for  no  artist  with 
pencil  and  brush,  tapestry  and  Persian  art  added, 
could  attract  the  eye  of  the  lovers  of  the  beautiful 
as  the  hills,  vales,  and  dales  about  the  Mount  of 
Beatitudes.  The  hills  here  are  different  from  those 
about  Jerusalem.  They  have  lost  their  granite  and 
limestone  ribs,  and  this  is  a  section  of  country 
that  would  attract  a  Vermont  farmer. 

We  pass  on  from  this  point,  and  sight  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  down  deep  in  the  valley,  with  its  peaceful 
waters.  We  wend  our  way  down  a  steep  hill,  and 
soon  are  at  the  little  seaport  town  of  Tiberias.  Pass- 
ing through  the  village  down  the  shore  half  a  mile, 
we  find  our  lunch-tent.  Just  below  it  is  the  hot 
sulphur  spring,  with  bathing-houses  ;  and  they  are 
patronized    by  many  people.     We  spend  some  time 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  loi 

on  the  shore,  gathering  pebbles  and  shells.  We  can 
see  the  whole  length  of  the  sea,  thirteen  miles;  and 
it  averages  six  miles  wide.  Yet  you  would  not  think 
it  to  be  half  that  distance. 

Few  places  in  Palestine  have  more  historical  inter- 
est connected  with  the  three  years'  labor  of  the 
Saviour  than  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  We  wondered  where 
he  fed  the  multitude,  where  he  launched  out  in  a 
boat  and  taught  the  people,  at  what  point  was  he 
when  he  stilled  the  waters,  where  did  he  order 
the  disciples  to  cast  the  net  on  the  other  side  of  the 
boat,  etc.  We  now  are  near  the  south  end  of  the 
lake,  which  runs  north  and  south.  Here  we  take 
four  sail  and  row  boats  going  north.  When  we 
start,  the  waters  are  smooth  as  glass,  and  our  oars- 
men, four  of  them  to  each  boat,  use  the  oars ;  but 
before  we  had  been  on  the  water  half  an  hour  the 
wind  seemed  to  come  down  upon  us,  and  they  spread 
their  sails,  and  we  sped  through  the  troubled  waters 
rapidly.  It  was  wonderful  how  quickly  the  waters 
were  troubled.  At  the  head  of  the  lake  we  visit  the 
old  site  of  Capernaum.  About  all  there  is  left  is  the 
location,  and  few  ruins,  except  a  new  building  occu- 
pied by  the  monks. 

From  this  spot  we  sail  west,  passing  the  old  town 
of  Bethsaida,  the  home  of  the  fishermen  that  Christ 
called  to  be  his  disciples,  landing  at  the  plains  of 
Chinnereth,  where  we  camp  for  the  night.  We  were 
three  hours  on  the  water,  and  enjoyed  it  much.  The 
river  Jordan  enters  the  Sea  of  Galilee  at  the  north 
end,  leaving  it  at  the  south  end,  going  on  its  way 
sixty  miles  to  the  Dead  Sea.     When  we  reached  our 


I02  VERMONT   TO.  DAMASCUS 

tents,  our  day's  work  was  done,  being  full  of  interest 
all  the  way  from  Nazareth  to  the  sea. 

Tuesday  morning  we  started  north  up  over  the 
mountain.  Found  a  rough  country.  We  let  our 
horses  have  the  bit  and  bridle,  and  they  took  us  over 
places  we  hope  never  to  pass  again.  Yesterday  we 
were  going  to  send  for  our  Vermont  farmer  friend, 
as  we  had  found  the  garden  of  the  world ;  but  to-day 
we  are  ready  to  say  "stick  to  Vermont."  After 
three  hours'  ride  we  seemed  to  be  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  and  could  look  south  and  see  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  look  north  and  see  the  waters  of  Merom, 
where  we  are  tenting  to-night.  Our  tents  form  a 
circle ;  and  in  the  circle  we  have  a  bonfire,  and  are 
being  entertained  by  about  fifty  Bedouins,  singing 
and  dancing  and  practising  with  the  broadsword. 
We  had  our  lunch  to-day  some  three  miles  south  of 
this  place,  where  there  was  a  large  spring  coming 
out  of  the  mountain.  Fine  water  for  this  country, 
and  enough  of  it  to  run  a  grist  mill  of  some  four  run 
of  stones;  but  the  grain  feeds  into  the  mill  about 
as  fast  as  a  good  smart  Vermont  hen  would  pick  it 
up,  and  was  the  crudest  mill  mortal  man  ever  set 
eyes  upon. 

After  leaving  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  crossing  the 
mountain,  we  came  into  the  Jordan  valley,  but 
skirted  along  its  edge  near  the  mountain,  and  found 
many  springs  coming  out  of  the  mountains,  sending 
their  streams  of  pure  water  out  into  that  historic 
river,  the  Jordan.  We  are  now  travelling  in  the 
region  of  Naphtali.  Up  the  valley  Joshua  swept 
with  his  army   when  he  took  the   land  of  Canaan. 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  103 

The  Jordan  valley  here  is  much  more  fertile  than  we 
found  it  at  Jericho,  and  is  almost  wholly  occupied 
by  the  Bedouins.  They  live  in  tents  unlike  any 
other  tent  you  will  have  the  privilege  of  looking 
upon.  They  have  cloth  made  out  of  goat's  hair, 
black,  which  is  set  up  on  sticks,  the  highest  in  the 
centre  being  long  and  narrow,  raised  five  or  six  feet 
from  the  ground.  Around  the  edges  they  fit  up 
bamboo  or  anything  they  can  get.  I  have  counted 
seventy  of  these  tents  in  a  cluster.  It  makes  a  black- 
looking  village.  The  tents  are  black,  the  skin  of  the 
people  the  same  color,  the  character  as  black  as  you 
please.  They  till  the  soil  but  very  little.  They 
have  their  cattle,  living  on  milk  and  beef,  with  some 
poultry  and  eggs,  and  roam  from  place  to  place  as 
herdsmen.  The  cattle  here  in  Palestine  are  mostly 
small  black  cattle ;  when  grown,  about  the  size  of 
our  yearlings. 

But  I  see  in  this  valley  the  Bedouins  have  some 
of  the  Egyptian  breed  of  cattle.  They  are  large, 
coarse,  and  homely.  I  think  they  would  smile  to 
see  our  Vermont  Durhams. 


VI. 

Wednesday,  May  i. 

We  have  been  travelling  most  of  the  day  in  the 
valley.  Yesterday  we  were  going  north  on  the  west 
side:  to-day,  about  10  a.m.,  we  head  our  horses  east- 
ward, crossing  to  the  other  side  of  the  plain.  We 
went  over  an  old  arched  stone  bridge,  which  took  us 


I04  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

across  one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  Jordan 
River,  and  were  soon  at  the  Hill  of  Dan,  where  we 
took  our  lunch  under  two  large  live-oak  trees,  meas- 
uring sixteen  and  nineteen  feet  in  circumference. 
The  boughs  of  one  of  them  spread  ninety  feet.  So 
you  see  we  had  plenty  of  room  for  forty  people. 

Just  east  of  these  trees  lie  the  ruins  of  Dan. 
Here  was  where  Jeroboam  set  up  the  golden  calf  to 
accommodate  the  people,  when  he  established  him- 
self at  Bethel.  Here  we  went  into  another  grist- 
mill, two  hundred  years  old.  They  could  grind  one 
bushel  an  hour  in  each  run  of  stones. 

When  leaving  this  place,  we  go  up  on  to  some 
high  table  land,  sparsely  covered  with  live  oaks  and 
trees  of  a  similar  character,  which  we  enjoyed,  as 
we  had  seen  nothing  of  the  kind  for  many  days. 

After  a  short  ride  we  came  to  a  valley  where 
is  located  the  town  of  Banias,  the  former  Csesarea 
Philippi,  where  we  spend  the  night.  Here  is  the 
head  of  the  Jordan  River.  One  of  the  spurs  of 
Mount  Hermon  came  down  to  this  place,  ending 
with  a  perpendicular  ledge.  From  under  this  ledge 
came  out  a  great  flow  of  water,  and  it  is  really  the 
beginning  of  that  historic  river,  and  is  about  the  size 
of  the  Black  River  at  Springfield,  but  receives  many 
tributaries  as  it  flows  on.  Caesarea  Philippi  was  built 
by  Philip  the  Tetrarch,  and  was  somewhat  a  Roman 
town.  It  is  thought  to  resemble  Tivoli,  and  the  old 
ruin  signifies  that  once  it  was  a  flourishing  place- 
This  was  the  furthest  point  north  the  Saviour  ever 
went,  and  that  for  only  once;  and  it  is  supposed 
while  here  he  went  with  Peter  and  John  on  to  one  of 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  105 

the  spurs  of  Mount  Hermon,  and  was  transfigured 
before  them.  He  was  baptized  in  the  waters  of  the 
Jordan.  At  its  source  he  was  transfigured.  He 
cahned  its  waters  as  it  passed  through  the  Sea  of 
GaHlee.  He  called  most  of  his  disciples  from  its 
locality,  and  the  Jordan  flows  on  in  rich,  historic 
memories. 

When  we  left  Banias,  we  entered  the  land  of  Syria, 
and  were  informed  that  our  luncheon-tent  would  be 
on  the  mountains,  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 
Therefore,  we  began  to  climb.  In  some  three  hours 
we  halted  at  quite  a  good-sized  town,  inhabited  by  the 
Druses.  This  is  the  class  of  people  that  slaughtered 
so  many  Christians  in  i860.  Many  of  the  men, 
women,  and  children,  came  out  to  see  us,  and  to  sell 
their  wares  and  trinkets.  The  men  were  all  armed 
with  dirk-knives,  and  showed  us  how  to  use  them. 
Some  of  them  use  one  in  each  hand  with  great  dex- 
terity. We  should  have  been  satisfied  to  have  known 
how  they  didn't  use  them.  The  sheik  of  the  town 
was  there,  and  he  brought  out  a  piece  of  bread, 
divided  it  in  two  parts  with  our  manager,  and  they 
ate  it  together.  That  was  a  token  of  peace  ;  and  we 
mounted  our  horses,  and  passed  on  to  where  we 
found  our  luncheon-tent.  For  the  last  few  hours 
the  snow-capped  peaks  of  Mount  Hermon  were  close 
to  our  left.  Around  them  were  the  lower  peaks  and 
spurs.  Hermon  looked  like  a  white-bearded  old  fel- 
low with  his  children  settled  all  about  him,  located 
for  all  time,  if  not  eternity. 

The  day  proved  to  be  one  of  the  worst  of  our  ex- 
perience.    It   was  what  I  should  call    intermittent. 


I06  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

First  the  sun  would  shine,  then  it  would  rain,  and, 
to  make  it  poetical,  we  would  next  have  sunshine, 
then  a  snow-squall,  the  wind  blowing  almost  a  gale ; 
but,  as  luck  would  have  it,  it  was  at  our  backs. 
Parties  have  had  to  turn  back  and  wait  for  better 
weather  before  going  over  the  mountain  ;  but  we  kept 
in  the  saddle  until  after  five  o'clock,  at  which  time 
we  were  nearly  over  the  mountain,  and  tented  for 
the  night  at  the  little  town  of  Henah.  But  the  wind 
and  storm  still  continued.  Our  tents  fluttered  and 
trembled,  but  the  guy  ropes  were  thoroughly  fastened 
and  attended  to  through  the  night ;  and  everything 
was  kept  intact  until  the  next  morning,  when  we 
went  on  our  way  rejoicing. 

Coming  over  the  mountain,  we  had  three  exhibits 
of  the  most  gorgeous  rainbow  mortal  man  ever  be- 
held,—  one  end  resting  on  the  plain  below  us,  the 
other  on  the  mountain.  The  question  was,  was  such 
an  exhibit  common  to  Syria  or  was  it  expressly  for 
the  Congregational  party. 

After  leaving  Henah,  our  objective  point  was 
Damascus,  which  we  expected  to  reach  about  4  p.m. 
We  crossed  in  the  forenoon  the  waters  of  Pharpar, 
and  about  eleven  o'clock  reached  the  Damascus 
plains.  What  we  have  seen  of  Syria  so  far  is  any- 
thing but  flattering.  The  soil  is  very  poor,  and 
strewn  in  many  places  with  lava,  rock,  and  wheat 
headed  out  when  from  six  to  twelve  inches  high. 
It  is  under  the  Turkish  government ;  and  the  people 
are  taxed  to  death,  as  they  are  in  the  whole  empire. 

We  have  been  travelling  over  the  main  road  from 
Jerusalem  to  Damascus ;  and  it  was  somewhere  near 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  107 

Damascus  that  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  converted,  or  at 
least  found  out  that  it  was  hard  to  kick  against  the 

pricks. 

As  you  come  down  on  to  the  plains,  you  are  near 
the  west  side  ;  and  you  have  at  your  left  the  Anti- 
Lebanon  Mountains,  which  form  a  beautiful  back- 
ground to  the  plain  which  stretches  far  to  the  east, 
with  lesser  hills  and  mountains  beyond.  Near  the 
head  of  this  valley  your  eye  beholds  a  beautiful 
grove,  variegated,  stretching  from  the  Anti-Lebanon 
Mountains  across  the  head  of  the  plains  for  miles. 
Above  the  trees  you  will  see  a  great  number  of  white 
towers  and  minarets,  and  you  will  decide  that  you 
are  soon  to  be  in  that  city  where  the  great  apostle 
Paul  dated  his  conversion. 

Our  head  dragoman  had  a  little  pride  left,  even 
after  being  with  us  so  many  days  ;  and,  as  we  were 
a  larger  party  than  he  usually  has  the  privilege  of 
conducting,  he  wished  to  take  us  into  the  city  in 
good  order.  So  we  were  commanded  to  stop  at  the 
gate  of  the  city  until  we  were  all  together,  then  rode 
two  abreast,  with  the  dragoman  at  the  head. 

Going  into  Damascus  is  like  going  into  the  maze 
at  Monterey,  in  California.  The  road,  which  is  fair 
in  width,  is  lined  each  side  with  walls  built  of  clay 
and  small  stones  mixed  together,  which  are  from  four 
to  ten  feet  high  ;  and  you  are  all  the  time  turning 
angles.  Where  these  walls  are  not  so  high  but  what 
you  can  look  over  them,  you  will  see  gardens  and 
groves.  Here  you  find  the  silver-leaf  poplar  grow- 
ing, which  is  used  for  building.  Then  it  is  a  forest  of 
fruit-trees,  olives,  walnut,  fig,  etc.  Nothing  seem- 
ngly  grown  in  Palestine  but  what  you  will  find  here 


io8  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

in  Damascus.  It  is  said  that  Mohammed,  when  he 
stood  upon  the  mountain,  at  the  head  of  the  city, 
and  looked  upon  it,  exclaimed,  *' There  is  but  one 
paradise,  and  that  is  Damascus."  The  city  has  over 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  and  some  two 
hundred  mosques.  It  is  an  old  city,  and  has  had 
terrible  conflicts.  Even  as  late  as  i860  there  were 
six  thousand  Christians  murdered  here. 

David  conquered  the  place  after  a  bloody  war,  as 
it  was  allied  with  his  enemy,  the  king  of  Zobah.  (See 
2  Samuel  viii.  5,  6.)  During  the  reign  of  Solomon 
an  adventurer  by  the  name  of  Rezin  made  himself 
king.  At  one  time  the  Romans  had  control,  and 
you  can  see  to-day  the  old  Roman  arch  and  gate. 

We  have  visited  the  houses  of  Ananias  and  Judas, 
that  are  connected  with  Paul's  history,  also  the  place 
where  he  was  let  down  in  a  basket. 

The  city  has  a  wonderful  water  supply,  the  river 
Abana  running  through  it.  From  this  stream,  water 
is  taken  in  all  directions.  The  main  part  of  the 
stream  is  carried  through  the  city  in  a  canal,  which 
is  some  sixty  feet  wide,  and  runs  swiftly.  The 
water  has  a  pearly  appearance. 

We  have,  in  my  opinion,  reached  the  climax  on 
dogs  here  in  Damascus.  We  find  it  is  against  the 
law  to  kill  a  dog ;  and  they  are  lying  about  the 
streets,  on  the  sidewalks,  or  anywhere  they  choose, 
appearing  sleepy,  as  if  they  had  been  up  all  night. 
You  can  count  from  ten  to  twenty  anywhere  you 
may  happen  to  be. 

There  are  many  rich  men  here  who  have  fine  resi- 
dences. Some  of  our  party  visited  one  of  these 
places,  where  one  room  cost  fifty  thousand  dollars. 


VEILED    WOMEN. 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  109 

VII. 

Daisiascus,  May  2,  1895. 

We  are  stopping  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  Besraoui ; 
and  we  find  it  first-class.  When  we  alighted  from 
our  horses  in  front  of  the  hotel,  two  large  iron  doors, 
some  fifteen  feet  high,  swung  open.  In  one  of  these 
doors  is  the  needle  eye  ;  that  is,  a  small  door  in  one 
of  the  large  doors,  that  can  be  used  when  the  large 
doors  are  closed,  although  a  short  person  has  to 
stoop  to  pass  through.  We  enter  a  hall  or  vestibule. 
At  your  right  is  the  office,  at  your  left  the  parlor. 
In  front  is  a  court  some  fifty  feet  square,  paved  with 
marble,  large  fountain  in  the  centre,  lemon-trees 
growing,  full  of  fruit.  Before  stepping  into  this 
court,  you  can  turn  to  the  right  or  left,  going  up 
stairs  leading  on  to  balconies  that  are  built  round 
on  three  sides  of  the  court.  From  these  balconies 
you  open  the  doors  into  your  rooms.  We  are 
located  on  the  first  floor,  having  a  very  pleasant 
room. 

We  remain  here  until  Tuesday,  the  7th,  then  finish 
our  camping  tour  to  Beyrout. 

You  will  remember  that  Paul  went  to  the  street 
called  Straight,  to  the  house  of  Judas,  and  Ananias 
was  sent  for,  etc.  This  street  referred  to  was  a 
wonderful  street,  although  it  was  not  straight,  but 
was  the  nearest  to  the  line  and  plummet  of  any 
street  in  Damascus;  for,  if  you  wish  to  get  angles 
and  curves  to  perfection,  then  come  to  this  city.  The 
street  called  Straight  in  Paul's  day  was  ninety  feet 
wide,  and  was  the  great  market-place. 


no  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

Here  come  the  caravans  from  Persia, —  a  hundred 
camels  at  once,  loaded  with  merchandise.  Since 
that  time  buildings  have  been  put  through  the 
centre  of  the  street,  making  two  streets  out  of  one, 
and  greatly  increasing  the  number  of  bazaars  ;  and 
the  camels  stop  outside  the  city. 

While  Damascus  has  shade-trees  and  many  fine 
things,  yet  a  large  part  of  it  is  filthy ;  and  our  party 
think  they  prefer  Cairo.  The  people  in  Cairo  are 
not  as  foreign  as  they  are  in  Damascus.  The  people 
here  use  mostly  goats'  milk.  We  see  droves  of  them 
coming  into  the  city  to  be  milked,  but  no  cows. 
The  churning  of  milk  or  cream  through  Palestine  and 
Syria  is  done  in  goat-skins,  which  are  sewed  up, 
then  the  milk  put  inside  and  shaken. 

When  we  were  passing  through  the  Bedouin 
country,  the  women  and  children  would  come  out 
with  the  dirtiest,  crudest-looking  receptacles,  with 
milk  and  buttermilk  to  sell ;  but  I  think  our  party 
must  have  been  out  of  funds,  for  I  did  not  see  them 
purchase  any  of  the  tempting  nectar.  We  have  also 
been  interested  in  the  way  the  people  do  their  wash- 
ing. They  go  to  the  brook  and  wash  the  clothes  on 
a  fiat  rock,  sometimes  using  another  fiat  stone  to 
pound  and  rub  them  with.  The  people  and  their 
ways  are  extremely  queer  to  us,  but  I  presume  we 
are  as  much  of  a  curiosity  to  them. 

We  found  here  in  Damascus  to-day  the  father  of 
lemons.  It  measured  the  smallest  way  round  thir- 
teen and  one-half  inches,  the  other  way  seventeen 
inches.  We  of  course  took  the  largest  one  in  the 
pile  to  try  our  tape-line  on. 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  in 

They  keep  six  thousand  soldiers  here  to  look  after 
the  peace  of  the  city.  Safety  would  call  for  more 
rather  than  less. 

The  last  day  of  our  stay  here  our  party  took  a 
carriage  ride  through  and  around  Damascus,  and 
drove  on  to  the  hill  near  the  mountain  where  Mo- 
hammed stood  when  he  admired  the  city  so  much  ; 
and  we  could  but  exclaim,  '*  Beautiful !  "  But  as  we 
had  been  through  its  dusty  streets,  and  seen  its  mis- 
erable houses,  we  decided  it  was  one  of  those  places 
where  distance  lends  enchantment.  The  sweeping 
waters  of  the  Abana  pass  close  by  our  hotel. 

Tuesday  morning,  the  7th,  we  were  on  our  horses, 
and  bade  good-by  to  Damascus,  directing  our  course 
up  the  beautiful  Abana,  and  soon  were  in  a  narrow 
valley  between  the  high  mountains,  and  our  eyes 
were  drinking  in  the  finest  scenery  in  the  world. 
The  road  was  fine,  being  the  main  road  to  Beyrout. 

After  an  hour's  ride  we  turned  to  the  right,  and 
took  to  the  mountains,  for  Baalbec  was  our  objective 
point ;  and  we  found  ourselves  going  over  the  Anti- 
Libanus  Mountain,  which  gave  us  some  grand 
scenery.  We  could  at  times  look  down  thousands 
of  feet  into  the  valley  of  green  trees,  and  see  the 
Abana  River  and  the  new  railroad  that  is  being 
built,  meandering  their  way  down  to  the  great  city 
of  Damascus.  We  scale  the  mountain,  and  descend 
into  a  valley,  where  we  find  one  of  the  tributaries 
of  the  Abana  boiling  up  from  under  large  rocks  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain  ;  and  we  wonder  and  admire 
to  see  the  great  quantities  of  pure  water  rushing 
away   from    this   fountain,   going   on    its    errand    of 


112  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

mercy  to  the  arid  plains  below.  Here  was  a 
beautiful  grove  cooled  by  the  rivers  of  water;  and 
our  dragoman  had  spread  our  lunch  table  in  the 
cooling  shade,  where  we  spent  two  enjoyable  hours. 
As  a  little  episode,  one  of  our  horses  broke  down  one 
of  the  trees  in  the  grove.  Very  soon  a  middle-aged 
woman  appeared,  gesticulating  and  jabbering  with 
all  her  powers,  her  eyes  flashing.  I  thought  at  first 
we  were  to  be  driven  off  the  grounds.  Evidently, 
she  believed  in  woman's  rights ;  and  I  rather  admired 
her  spunk,  but  was  disgusted  to  see  how  easily 
she  was  bought  up.  Our  head  dragoman  went  and 
picked  up  a  few  pieces  of  bread  we  had  left  at  lunch, 
and  gave  to  her ;  and  she  went  off,  smiling  and  happy 
as  a  clam  in  high  water. 

After  two  hours'  ride  we  reached  the  town  of 
Suk,  where  we  camped  for  the  night.  Here  the 
mountains  are  near  to  us,  rising  almost  perpen- 
dicular more  than  one  thousand  feet.  Upon  the  top 
of  one  of  these  mountains  you  will  see  a  tomb, 
a  building  quite  conspicuous.  Tradition  says  it  is 
the  tomb  of  Abel. 

Our  tents  are  close  by  the  new  railroad  they  are 
building  from  Damascus  to  Beyrout.  We  examined 
it,  and  found  that  they  were  laying  the  rails  on  iron 
ties.  They  are  made  like  a  trough,  and  bolted  firmly 
to  these  iron  sleepers. 

Wednesday  morning  we  commence  our  journey, 
going  through  the  grandest  scenery  we  have  seen 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  In  half  an  hour  we  halt, 
and  look  over  the  sections  of  the  old  Roman  road. 
Another  half -hour  brings  us  into  a  broad,  fertile 
valley,  should  call  it  the  Esdraelon  of  Syria. 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  113 

Since  we  left  Damascus  we  have  been  crossing 
the  Anti-Lebanon  Mountains,  sometimes  in  the  val- 
leys, then  again  on  the  mountains,  most  of  the  time 
old  snow-capped  Hermon  plain  in  view.  5  p.m.  finds 
us  tented  at  the  town  of  Yafufeh. 

Thursday  morning,  the  9th,  we  are  off  for  Baalbec, 
having  a  ride  of  four  hours,  arriving  at  10  a.m.  Here 
we  spend  the  rest  of  the  day,  as  there  is  much  of  in- 
terest to  look  over.  There  might  be  a  book  written 
confined  to  Baalbec,  or  Heliopolis,  its  ancient  name, 
the  former  meaning  God  of  the  Valley,  the  latter 
City  of  the  Sun.  But  time  will  only  permit  me  to 
give  you  a  few  outlines,  and  advise  you,  if  ever  in 
Syria,  not  to  fail  to  see  the  most  wonderful  ruins  in 
the  world.  You  will  be  amazed  by  both  quantity 
and  quality  of  the  ruins,  covering  acres  of  ground. 
In  its  walls  are  stones  for  you  to  examine,  sixty-three 
feet  long,  thirteen  feet  in  breadth  and  width,  that 
weigh  twelve  hundred  tons,  some  of  them  twenty 
feet  from  the  ground.  How  to  place  such  a  stone  in 
position  would  be  a  hard  problem  for  the  stone-ma- 
sons of  the  nineteenth  century  to  solve.  In  wander- 
ing through  these,  you  are  continually  reminded  that 
once,  notwithstanding  its  vastness,  it  must  have  been 
beautiful.  The  beautiful  stucco-work  of  to-day  might 
well  be  traced  back  to  the  carving  in  stone  seen  in 
these  ruins.  It  is  somewhat  of  a  mystery  who  com- 
menced these  temples.  Some  suppose  it  to  have 
been  Solomon.  It  must  have  been  a  man  of  great 
resources. 

Baalbec  has  now  five  thousand  inhabitants,  many 
Christians  among  them,  and  a  much  better  class  of 


114  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

people  than  the  average  in  Syria.  It  was  at  one 
time  a  commercial  centre.  It  is  beautiful  for  situa- 
tion, is  near  the  base  of  the  Anti-Lebanon  Moun- 
tains, near  the  head  of  the  plain  or  valley  Bekaa,  or 
the  old  name  Ccele-Syria,  and  divides  Anti-Lebanon 
from  Lebanon.  There  is  a  large  spring  coming  out 
of  the  mountain  about  a  mile  above  the  town,  which 
forms  quite  a  river  of  pure  water  that  flows  through 
the  city  ;  and  the  plain  below  this  covers  the  valley 
about  Baalbec  with  beautiful  groves  and  great  variety 
of  trees,  both  useful  and  ornamental.  Up  to  this 
fountain,  named  Rosel  Ain,  from  the  town,  is  a 
charming  drive,  the  avenue  lined  each  side  with  wil- 
lows nourished  by  the  stream  of  water  that  follows 
the  avenue.  At  the  west  you  see  the  Lebanon 
Mountain  ;  and  a  short  ride  will  take  you  to  the  cedar 
groves,  the  pride  of  this  historic  elevation.  Those 
forests,  we  understand,  have  been  greatly  reduced 
since  Solomon's  time.  You  will  remember  that 
Hiram  furnished  Solomon  with  great  quantities  of 
this  timber  when  he  built  the  temple.  Solomon 
sent  eighty  thousand  men  to  perform  the  work. 
This  would  open  the  eyes  even  of  a  Maine  or  Mich- 
igan man,  to  see  such  a  logging  camp.  This  was 
used  in  Solomon's  palaces,  as  well  as  the  temple. 
Herod  also  drew  upon  the  forest.  In  history  wars 
and  rumors  of  wars  have  hovered  around  Baalbec; 
and  it  has  suffered  in  that  way,  as  have  all  important 
centres  in  this  country.  At  one  time  one  of  the 
temples  was  turned  into  a  fortress. 

Sun-worship  was  the  leading  idolatry,  and  every 
year  they  sacrificed  human  beings.     At  a  later  day 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  115 

Constantine  came  in,  and  for  a  while  established 
Christian  worship.  The  destruction  of  these  temples 
has  mostly  been  by  earthquakes, —  granite  columns, 
from  four  to  six  feet  through,  broken  in  pieces,  piled 
up  in  heaps,  the  wall  in  many  places  shaken  down. 

Friday  morning,  the  loth,  we  are  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Coele-Syria  valley ;  and  in  leaving  this  place, 
Baalbec,  we  take  a  carriage  road,  which  is  quite  a 
treat  to  us.  Following  this  road,  we  cross  to  the 
west  side  of  the  plain,  then,  turning  southward,  we 
ride  all  day  down  this  beautiful  valley,  and  at  night 
are  camped  near  Shatora.  At  this  place  we  strike 
the  diligence  road  from  Damascus  to  Beyrout. 
This  road,  seventy  miles  in  length,  was  built  by  a 
French  company,  and  crosses  over  Mount  Lebanon. 
It  must  have  been  expensive  ;  but  they  apply  the  toll 
to  it,  so  they  receive  about  twenty  per  cent,  on  their 
investment.  The  road  is  a  fine  one,  and  the  engi- 
neering over  the  mountain  made  me  think  of  the 
railroad  over  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Saturday,  the  nth. 

To-day  we  finish  our  camping  tour.  We  are  to  cross 
over  Mount  Lebanon,  reaching  Beyrout,  thirty-five 
miles  distant.  So  at  six  o'clock  we  are  in  the  saddle, 
and  soon  begin  to  climb  the  mountain,  looking  back 
down  into  the  valley  and  across  to  Anti-Lebanon  ; 
and  in  the  distance  beyond  is  old  snow-capped  Her- 
mon.  This  old  fellow  has  had  his  eye  on  us  most  of 
the  time  for  the  last  ten  days ;  but  up  we  climb  until 
about  eleven  o'clock,  and  find  ourselves  on  top  of 
Mount  Lebanon,  and  at  twelve  stop  for  lunch  at  the 


Ii6  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

town  of  Kahnel  Sheik.  You  will  remember  that  our 
first  lunch  was  at  Bethel ;  and  here  at  this  place  we 
say  Amen,  and  bid  good-by  to  our  tents. 

From  this  point  you  can  see  the  blue  Mediterra- 
nean ;  and  upon  an  elevation  lies  the  city  of  Beyrout, 
dipping  her  feet  down  into  the  sea.  This  side  of  the 
city,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  is  a  valley 
sweeping  around  the  city,  covered  with  trees,  dotted 
with  white  cottages,  forming  the  suburbs  of  the  city, 
the  sleeping  place  for  the  busy  crowd  that  spend  the 
day-time  near  the  sea.  We  can  look  down  into  many 
ravines,  see  many  villages  tucked  away  in  retirement, 
and  at  other  places  they  have  hung  them  up  on  the 
mountains,  and  we  wonder  how  in  the  world  the  peo- 
ple ever  reach  their  homes  ;  but,  where  there  is  a  will, 
there  is  a  way. 

The  day  has  been  one  of  grand  scenery ;  and,  after 
halting  an  hour,  we  move  on  down  the  mountain,  and 
when  within  some  four  miles  of  the  city  we  meet  a 
very  pleasant  surprise.  It  seems  the  people  of  the 
American  college  here  in  Beyrout  had  been  watching 
us,  and  were  ready  to  give  us  a  welcome.  In  the  dis- 
tance we  saw  a  troop  of  men  coming  on  fine  horses. 
This  cavalcade  proved  to  be  President  Bliss,  who  was 
born  in  Georgia,  Vt.,  with  his  professors,  also  Mr. 
Gibson,  the  American  consul.  President  Bliss  has 
a  personal  acquaintance  with  some  of  our  party,  and 
we  were  very  pleasantly  escorted  into  Beyrout. 

The  last  few  days  we  have  been  among  the  mul- 
berry-trees, and  one  of  the  products  of  this  country 
is  silk.  In  Damascus  there  are  three  thousand  hand 
looms  weaving  this  article,  also  great  quantities  pro- 


LETTERS   FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  117 

duced  here  in  Beyrout.  So,  young  ladies,  if  you  ad- 
mire silk  dresses,  here  is  the  place  to  come. 

Over  the  road  between  here  and  Damascus,  which 
I  have  referred  to,  they  run  a  vehicle  each  way  every 
day,  called  a  diligence.  It  is  somewhat  different  from 
a  Concord  coach.  It  seats  twelve  persons,  all  inside, 
except  the  man  that  holds  the  ribbons.  They  start 
early  in  the  morning,  reaching  *their  destination  at  5 
P.M.,  covering  the  seventy  miles  in  that  time.  Six 
horses  is  the  number  used,  driving  three  abreast ; 
and  they  have  a  fresh  relay  every  six  miles. 

We  spend  eight  days  here  in  Beyrout,  and  then  sail 
for  Athens,  making  several  calls  along  the  coast. 

Will  give  you  more  about  Beyrout  and  beyond 
here  in  my  next  letter. 

VIII. 

Beyrout,  May  16. 

You  have  been  following  us  in  our  camping  tour, 
and  perhaps  you  would  like  to  take  a  glimpse  of  our 
caravan  as  we  are  camping  and  also  on  the  move. 
We  have  some  sixteen  tents,  each  tent  accommodat- 
ing two  persons,  also  dining  and  cooking  tents.  The 
members  of  the  party  from  Springfield  have  a  tent  by 
themselves.  It  is  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  being 
round,  the  sides  six  feet  high,  with  a  conical  top,  and 
tent  pole  in  the  centre  reaching  up  fifteen  feet.  The 
canopy  top  projects  over  the  sides  some  twelve 
inches,  making  a  neat  finish,  and  is  held  out  by  guy 
ropes.  The  outside  is  striped  excepting  the  top, 
which  is  white.     The  inside  is  covered  with   beau- 


Ii8  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

tiful  needlework,  squares,  diamond-shaped  pieces, 
flowers,  etc.,  handsome  as  tapestry.  The  ground  is 
our  floor,  but  is  covered  with  carpets.  We  have  two 
beds  with  iron  frames,  table,  two  wash-bowls,  two 
pitchers,  brass  candlestick  with  candle,  chairs,  etc. 

Around  the  tent  pole,  up  some  six  feet,  is  buckled 
a  strap  with  hooks  for  hanging  clothes.  We  sleep 
sound,  and  come  out  fresh  in  the  morning.  There 
may  be  a  few  bugs,  spiders,  or  fleas  that  will  want  to 
get  into  bed  with  you  before  morning ;  but  that,  you 
know,  is  nothing,  when  you  are  on  a  picnic. 

We  found  out  after  we  were  on  the  way  from  Jeru- 
salem that  we  had  one  hundred  and  five  horses, 
mules,  and  donkeys,  and  forty-eight  men,  dragomen, 
muleteers,  and  helpers  to  move  us.  We  have  two 
large  copper  bells,  large  enough  to  call  people  to 
church,  that  are  put  on  the  leading  mules  of  our  bag- 
gage train.  These  they  ring  in  the  morning  at  5.30 
o'clock  to  call  us  to  rise  and  prepare  for  breakfast, 
which  is  ready  at  six.  Before  you  leave  your  tent, 
you  must  pack  your  trunk  and  valises ;  and  while  at 
breakfast  these  articles  will  be  taken  out  and  packed 
in  large  rubber-lined  bags,  ready  to  strap  on  the 
mules. 

We  have  for  breakfast  tea,  coffee,  good  bread, 
omelets  or  fried  eggs,  and  mutton  chops.  When  you 
come  out  of  the  dining  tent,  you  will  find  nearly  all 
of  the  tents  down  and  packed.  Before  we  are  called 
in  the  morning,  men  start  with  our  lunch-tent 
and  eatables,  which  consist  of  bread,  cold  chicken, 
beef,  and  mutton,  cold  boiled  eggs,  raisins,  nuts  and 
We  are  in  the  saddle  at  6.30,  and  proceed, 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  119 

led  by  dragomen,  of  which  we  have  three,  one  of 
these  being  always  at  the  rear  to  look  after  the 
stragglers  and  lazy  ones.  Then  there  are  several 
helpers.  So  if  a  lady's  saddle  should  turn  or  girt 
break,  or  any  other  trouble  occur,  there  is  always 
some  one  at  hand  to  see  that  it  is  righted.  Our 
three  dragomen  all  speak  English,  and  are  fine  fel- 
lows. Our  managers,  Mr.  Vicker,  an  Englishman, 
and  Mr.  Voight,  a  German,  are  also  with  the  party. 

About  noon  or  before  we  spy  our  lunch-tent,  usu- 
ally in  some  grove  or  by  some  good  spring.  Our 
horses  are  turned  over  to  the  helpers,  who  have  their 
grain  and  feed-bags  with  them  ;  and  we  go  to  our 
lunch,  and  usually  before  we  are  through  we  hear 
those  big  bells,  and,  looking  out,  will  see  our  bag- 
gage train  passing.  This  train  makes  no  stop  after 
it  starts  in  the  morning  until  it  reaches  our  next 
tenting  place.  We  wait  one  and  one-half  hours  after 
this  train  passes  before  we  begin  our  afternoon 
journey.  We  have  four  ladies  that  did  not  dare  risk 
horseback  riding  so  long  a  journey,  so  hired  palan- 
quins. This  is  a  narrow  wagon  body  with  a  wooden 
top,  with  strips  of  wood  on  each  side  running  out 
before  and  behind,  forming  shafts  for  the  mules, 
which  have  on  a  large  pillion  saddle  ;  and  these  shafts 
are  attached  to  that.  A  man  on  a  donkey  leads  the 
front  mule,  and  a  man  behind  brings  up  the  rear, 
thus  taking  two  men,  two  mules,  and  a  donkey  to  run 
one  of  these  vehicles.  They  charge  five  dollars  per 
day  for  them.  They  have  proved  rather  troublesome 
things  over  some  of  the  rough  places  we  have  trav- 
elled.    They  usually  start  these  vehicles  on  ahead, 


I20  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

as    they  do  not    go    as   fast   as    the    horses   like  to 
travel. 

About  four  or  five  o'clock  we  usually  spy  our 
white  city  in  some  grove  or  by  some  spring,  which  is 
always  a  delight.  The  tents  are  all  numbered,  and 
each  one  knows  his  number.  When  we  alight,  the 
first  thing  is  to  find  our  tent  with  beds  all  made  up, 
baggage  intact,  etc.  In  a  few  minutes  the  bell  rings 
for  tea,  which  with  crackers  they  furnish  us  on  ar- 
rival. Being  thirsty,  about  three  cups  of  weak  tea 
with  as  many  crackers  as  you  please  are  very  refresh- 
ing. Then  you  can  rest  in  your  tent  or  visit  among 
your  neighbors.  The  latter  is  the  most  popular  thing 
to  do.  At  seven  the  bell  rings  for  dinner.  First 
course,  hot  soup,  then  follow  usually  three  courses 
of  meat  and  fish,  closing  up  with  some  fancy  dish 
and  raisins,  nuts,  and  oranges.  Our  head  cook  is 
paid  four  dollars  per  day,  and  we  think  he  is  worth  it. 
When  you  retire,  you  can  have  your  hot-water  bags 
filled  if  you  wish  ;  and  I  notice  a  good  many  of  them 
skipping  around  among  the  tents,  as  we  get  cool 
nights  in  this  country. 

Before  starting  on  this  tour,  we  had  our  doubts  on 
the  matter  ;  but  the  idea  of  seeing  so  much  of  in- 
terest nerved  us  to  the  battle.  But  we  can  now  say 
that  we  have  enjoyed  it,  and  come  out  hale  and 
hearty.  Some  of  us  have  become  so  attached  to  our 
horses  that  we  almost  want  to  take  them  home 
with  us. 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND 


IX. 

Beyrout,  May  17,  1895. 

April  15  we  landed  on  the  sultan's  territory,  and 
have  been  and  are  still  under  Turkish  rule.  We  ex- 
pect to  leave  the  19th  for  Athens,  making  several 
stops  at  important  places  along  the  coast. 

Turkey  is  under  the  iron  hand  of  Mohammedan- 
ism," being  filled  with  Mohammedans,  Mussulmans, 
Bedouins,  etc.  There  are  only  a  few  places  where 
Christianity  gets  much  of  a  foothold.  Beyrout  is  one 
of  them  ;  but  the  great  principle  for  the  healing  of  the 
nations  gains  ground  hereabout  as  the  doctor  said 
about  his  patient, — "improved  wonderfully,  but  very 
slowly.  " 

We  talked  with  the  missionaries  at  Damascus. 
They  said,  if  one  of  the  natives  should  change  his 
religion  from  Mohammedanism  to  Christianity,  his 
life  would  not  be  worth  a  penny.  The  only  thing  he 
could  do  would  be  to  flee  the  country.  Therefore, 
direct  mission  work  is  virtually  cut  off  ;  and  all  they 
can  do  is  to  work  among  the  children,  educating 
them  and  instilling  into  their  minds  the  principles  of 
freedom. 

There  was  an  English  lady  at  work  there  who  was 
converted  at  the  age  of  twenty,  a  lady  of  culture  and 
wealth,  who  has  a  brother  in  Parliament.  After  her 
conversion  she  felt  that  she  must  give  her  all  to  the 
mission  work.  She  commenced  her  work  in  Damas- 
cus, and  has  already  educated  six  hundred  children, 
and  is  still  at  the  good  work, —  a  consecrated  life. 


122  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

I  believe  the  time  is  coming  when  Turkey  will 
wheel  into  line,  and  the  principle  that  is  grinding  the 
people  to  the  earth  will  give  way  to  those  principles 
that  elevate  humanity.  The  American  college  here 
is  doing  a  good  work.  This  college  was  endowed 
largely  with  American  capital.  They  have  nearly 
two  hundred  and  fifty  students.  The  president  and 
professors  are  having  a  strong  influence  on  Beyrout, 
which  is  a  growing  city.  When  President  Bliss 
came  here  thirty  or  more  years  ago,  there  were  forty 
thousand  people  here.  Now  there  are  over  one  hun- 
dred thousand,  and  it  is  unquestionably  the  brightest 
town  in  Syria. 

Tuesday,  the  13th,  our  party  took  carriages,  and 
drove  to  Dog  River,  up  the  bay,  seven  and  one-half 
miles.  From  this  river  comes  the  water  supply  for 
the  city.  On  our  way  we  pass  the  old  stone  chapel 
where,  it  is  said.  Saint  George  had  the  tussle  with 
the  dragon.  The  river  is  named  from  what  tradition 
says  :  that  there  was  a  stone  dog  out  in  the  sea, 
at  the  mouth  of  this  river,  that  used  to  bark  at  the 
approach  of  an  enemy.  Sensible  dog,  surely.  An- 
other tradition,  and  a  more  sensible  one,  is  that 
there  was  a  peculiar-shaped  rock  on  the  cliff  by 
the  sea,  that,  when  the  wind  blew  hard,  made  a 
howling  noise,  like  a  dog.  However,  aside  from  all 
the   dog   business,  it  is  a    place    of   much    interest. 

The  new  road  that  has  been  lately  built  up  the 
bay  has  a  beautiful  stone  bridge  across  this  river 
near  its  mouth  as  it  empties  into  the  sea.  The 
Lebanon  Mountains  at  this  point  almost  reach  the 
blue  waters  of  the  Mediterranean;  and  just  before 


LETTERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  123 

you  reach  the  bridge,  at  your  right,  you  will  notice 
the  old  Roman  road,  winding  its  way  up  the  moun- 
tain. Here  at  the  commencement  of  this  road  is 
much  of  historical  interest. 

Many  tablets  of  large  size  are  cut  in  the  rocks 
of  the  mountain.  The  first  one  you  notice  speaks 
of  the  history  of  Napoleon,  and  is  the  latest  one, 
being  carved  in  i860.  This  famous  general  came 
out  to  fight  the  Turks,  and  one  of  his  brave  generals 
feirhere.  There  are  several  tablets  of  the  Pharaohs, 
also  one  that  is  supposed  to  have  been  placed  there 
by  Sennacherib,  some  seven  hundred  years  before 
Christ.  You  will  remember  that  he  lay  siege  to 
Jerusalem,  and  was  at  Samaria,  and  had  cut  off  all 
supplies,  so  there  was  a  terrible  famine,  when  Elijah 
prophesied  that  in  so  many  hours  bread  would  be 
sold  in  the  gates  of  Samaria,  etc.  The  angel  of  the 
Lord  caused  Sennacherib's  army  to  hear  the  ap- 
proaching enemy  in  great  numbers,  and  fled  in  wild 
confusion ;  and  the  lepers  were  the  first  ones  to 
enter  the  camp  and  find  plenty  of  food. 

This  old  Roman  road  was,  no  doubt,  the  one 
he  took  his  army  over ;  and  the  tablet  might  have 
been  placed  here  in  memory  of  that  event.  As  we 
climbed  up  over  this  road,  we  thought  of  Mark 
Twain's  saying,  that  you  could  tell  where  these 
Roman  roads  were  by  finding  the  places  where 
there  were  the  most  stones.  Another  of  Mark's 
neat  sayings  has  been  buzzing  in  our  ears  the  last 
three  weeks, —  that  people  here  know  nothing  about 
distances  in  miles.  You  ask  them  how  far  any  place 
is,    they   always    say    so    many    minutes    or    hours. 


124  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

Mark  went  into  a  tailor  shop  to  get  a  pair  of  trousers, 
and  he  told  the  man  he  wanted  them  so  many  sec- 
onds around  the  waist  and  so  many  minutes  down 
the  leg.  No  doubt  the  tailor  knew  just  what  he 
wanted. 

Our  ride  to  Dog  River,  the  entire  seven  and  one- 
half  miles,  was  through  gardens  and  mulberry  or- 
chards. The  trunks  of  the  trees  are  allowed  to  grow 
about  seven  feet  tall,  then  they  throw  out  shoots,  in 
number  anywhere  from  fifteen  to  thirty  on  a  tree, 
and  are  allowed  to  grow  to  the  length  of  some  five 
feet.  This  growth  is  obtained  in  a  few  weeks,  and 
the  shoots  are  full  of  tender  leaves,  which  are  cut 
off  and  fed  to  the  worms  ;  and  other  sprouts  grow 
in  their  places. 

They  raise  a  sort  of  bamboo  or  cane  here  that 
grows  six  or  eight  feet  high.  The  natives  cut  this, 
and  build  booths  in  the  orchard,  setting  it  up  on 
end,  and  throwing  a  covering  over  the  top.  Inside 
they  build  shelves  on  which  you  can  find  the  silk- 
worm. They  throw  over  them  these  green  mul- 
berry leaves,  and  the  ravenous  fellows  devour  them. 
They  are  fed  three  times  during  the  day  and  twice 
in  the  night.  They  appear  to  be  very  religious  in 
their  habits.  They  fast  every  week,  eating  some 
five  days,  then  fasting  two  days.  In  forty  days  they 
are  through  with  this  world's  goods,  and  commence 
to  make  goods  for  other  people,  forming  the  cocoons 
from  which  the  beautiful  silks  are  made  that  all 
admire. 

As  you  pass  along  the  streets  of  Beyrout,  about 
every  third    place  you    look    into   you  will    see  the 


LETTERS  EROM   THE   HOLY  LAXD  125 

hand  loom  running,  weaving  silk  for  market.  One 
occupation  we  have  found  here  in  Beyrout  that  we 
have  not  seen  anywhere  else ;  that  is,  fortune-telling. 
You  will  see  old  duffers  sitting  on  the  sidewalk, 
with  a  cloth  some  twenty  inches  square,  covered 
with  fine  sand  ;  and  beside  them  an  ink-horn,  pen, 
and  paper.  They  look  a  person  over,  and  with  three 
fingers  dot  the  sand  all  over,  and  will  then  write 
out  your  future  history.  But  the  future  of  the  Con- 
gregationalist  party  is  unfolding  as  fast  as  we  care 
to  know  it.  Therefore,  we  leave  these  old  Arabs 
alone  in  their  glory. 

Many  of  the  streets  here  are  lined  with  beautiful 
trees.  The  pride  of  China,  looking  much  like  the 
pepper-tree  of  California,  is  very  abundant.  It  has  a 
heavier  foliage,  and  many  would  prefer  it  to  the  pep- 
per-tree. Then  we  find  another  tree  they  call  the 
macher,  and  one  has  to  see  it  in  order  to  know  its 
beauty.  It  is  large,  some  twenty-five  feet  high,  and 
literally  covered  from  top  to  bottom  with  a  blue  or 
purple  flower  ;  and  you  will  never  pass  one  without 
admiration, 

Wednesday,  the  15th,  we  were  all  invited  to  a  recep- 
tion at  the  college  from  3  to  7  p.m.  Being  one  and 
one-half  miles  away,  carriages  took  us  there,  and 
came  for  us  at  7  p.m.  The  college  buildings  are  lo- 
cated on  high  ground  away  from  the  business  part  of 
the  city,  close  to  the  blue  sea,  so  near  seemingly  that 
you  could  throw  a  stone  into  its  waters.  They  were 
hoping  to  give  us  a  chance  to  view  and  admire  one 
of  their  beautiful  sunsets  ;  but,  unfortunately,  it  was 
cloudy.     The  Lebanon  Mountains  with  their  varie- 


126  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

gated  green,  and  the  blue  waters  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean, with  the  expiring  rays  of  day  mingled  with  the 
shadows  of  coming  night,  form  a  picture  that  will 
satisfy  the  eye  of  all  lovers  of  the  beautiful. 

We  were  shown  through  the  college  buildings,  and 
were  very  much  interested.  The  museum  was  fine. 
They  have  a  fine  chapel,  given  by  Mr.  Monroe,  of 
New  York,  seating  one  thousand  people.  William 
E.  Dodge  in  his  day  did  much  for  this  institu- 
tion. His  sons  are  still  interested.  They  have  a 
fine  astronomical  observatory,  with  fine  telescope 
with  twelve-inch  glass,  manufactured  by  Warren  & 
Swazey,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  at  a  cost  of  over  eight 
thousand  dollars. 

At  five  o'clock  we  went  to  the  spread  in  large 
rooms,  suitable  for  the  occasion.  Tea,  coffee,  and 
lemonade,  and  such  biscuits  and  cake  we  have  not 
looked  upon  or  tasted  since  we  left  America.  It  was 
like  attending  a  church  sociable.  They  have  con- 
nected with  this  college  a  medical  department  with 
a  four  years*  course  of  study,  turning  out  thorough 
physicians  that  have  been  successful  in  their  voca- 
tion. 

We  found  the  president  and  professors,  with  their 
wives,  daughters,  and  sons,  remarkably  cordial  and 
social ;  and  we  came  away  feeling  indebted  to  them 
for  a  royal  good  time,  which  we  placed  in  the  book  of 
our  remembrance,  and  it  will  be  one  of  the  pleasant- 
est  episodes  of  the  Congregationalist  tour. 

This  American  mission,  now  Presbyterian,  has 
been  at  work  in  Syria  since  1821.  We  have  also 
visited  the  girls'  school,  publishing  house,  and  church 


LE ITERS    FROM    THE    HOLY   LAND  127 

connected  with  this  mission.  Many  eminent  and 
scientific  men  have  been  connected  with  this  work, 
such  as  Eli  Smith,  Van  Dyck,  Thompson,  and  others. 
They  have  a  beautiful  Sunday-school  chapel,  built  on 
the  spot  where  Van  Dyck  translated  the  first  Arabic 
Bible.  This  chapel  has  its  class-rooms  with  sliding 
glass  doors,  and  would  do  credit  to  any  American  city. 
In  the  church  they  have  service  every  Sunday  at  nine 
o'clock  in  English,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  in  Arabic. 
We'^ttended  the  English  service.  They  have  a  fine 
organ,  excellent  choir,  having  a  fine  soprano  singer. 
The  publishing  house  is  doing  a  good  business,  turn- 
ing out  many  Bibles  in  Arabic  and  publishing  a 
paper.  But  the  government  annoys  them  in  this 
matter.  Nothing  can  be  printed  in  this  line  without 
first  being  sent  to  the  censor.  If  there  is  anything 
he  does  not  like,  he  draws  his  pen  through  it ;  and 
that  ends  the  matter.  The  government  is  very  jeal- 
ous, and  the  mails  are  watched  closely.  It  is  hard  to 
get  a  newspaper  in  or  out  of  Turkey.  Every  tele- 
gram is  examined  by  some  government  ofBcial.  No 
cipher  telegrams  can  be  sent  from  this  country. 
However,  this  printing  establishment  has  pluck  and 
forbearance,  and  are  employing  over  fifty  hands, 
doing  some  fine  work,  and  are  waiting  for  the  sun  of 
righteousness  and  freedom  to  arise  and  shine,  which, 
they  believe,  is  sure  to  crown  their  labors. 

We  find  there  is  a  section  of  country  here,  called 
Lebanon,  that  is  ruled  by  a  Christian  governor.  He 
is  appointed  once  in  five  years  by  the  sultan  ;  but 
the  European  powers  dictate  in  the  matter,  and  will 
not  allow  a  Mohammedan  to  be  appointed.     This  ter- 


128  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

ritory  includes  the  range  of  the  Lebanon  Mountains, 
also  the  Anti-Lebanon,  and  the  valley  lying  between. 
These  mountains  I  have  referred  to  in  writing  up 
Baalbec,  and  spoke  of  the  improvement  of  the  people 
of  that  place,  especially  the  female  portion. 

I  believe  the  Christian  nations  should  and  will  ere- 
long make  a  demand  on  Turkey,  and  not  allow  the 
iron  hand  of  superstition  to  grind  the  people  any 
longer.  Beyrout  in  appearance  is  not  old  enough  to 
be  called  antique  nor  young  enough  to  be  giddy.  Its 
early  history  has  nothing  startling.  It  was  at  one 
time  destroyed  in  consequence  of  its  rebellion 
against  Antiochus  VII.,  but  afterwards  was  rebuilt 
by  the  Romans,  and  named  Augustus  Felix  after 
the  Emperor  Augustus,  with  a  view  to  pleasing  his 
friends. 

Herod  Agrippa  at  one  time  embellished  it  with 
baths  and  theatres,  and  caused  combats  of  gladiators 
to  be  exhibited,  etc.  After  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, Titus  caused  numerous  Jews  to  enter  the  lists 
against  each  other.  At  one  time  it  was  held  by  the 
Druses.  In  1840  it  was  bombarded  by  an  English 
fleet  without  much  damage,  and  recaptured  for  the 
Turks.  But  the  days  of  war  are  passing  by,  yet 
there  are  more  swords  than  ploughshares  in  Syria 
to-day.  But  we  expect  to  see  the  transformation 
take  place  soon,  when  the  people  will  rejoice. 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  129 

X. 

According  to  our  itinerary  we  should  have  left 
Beyrout  the  15th;  but  the  running  of  the  steamers 
had  lately  been  changed  ;  and  we  were  obliged  to  wait 
until  the  19th,  giving  us  some  eight  days  in  Beyrout. 
But  the  American  consul  and  our  college  friends 
made  it  so  pleasant  for  us  that  the  time  passed  very 
quickly. 

Our  party  have  avoided  as  far  as  possible  travelling 
on  the  Sabbath.  Only  once  before  since  we  left 
have  we  encroached  on  holy  time.  When  we  left 
Port  Said,  we  took  steamer  for  Jaffa  Sunday  after- 
noon ;  and  Sunday,  the  19th,  our  steamer  was  to  leave 
Beyrout  for  Athens  at  twelve  o'clock.  Rev.  Mr. 
Horton  of  our  party  preached  at  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing to  the  college  boys  and  others.  Text,  "  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ." 

At  1 1.30  we  were  all  on  board  the  **  Senegal,"  a 
French  steamer,  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long 
and  600  horse-power  engines.  It  was  the  finest  run- 
ning boat  we  have  yet  had  the  privilege  of  travelling 
on.  She  runs  through  the  blue  waters  of  the  Medi- 
terranean like  a  duck,  counting  off  about  fifteen  knots 
per  hour.  She  is  the  personification  of  neatness,  and 
the  cuisine  is  excellent ;  and,  after  having  so  much 
Syrian  and  gum  Arabic  table  d'hote,  we  certainly  en- 
joyed the  French  cooking.  Many  of  our  Beyrout 
friends  came  on  board  to  bid  us  farewell ;  and,  as  we 
steamed  out  of  the  harbor,  we  could  look  back  upon 
College  Hill,  and  see  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs, 
which  we  returned  as  the  last  good-by. 


130  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

We  took  a  south-west  course,  and  before  sundown 
we  were  running  along  near  the  island  of  Cyprus. 
This  island,  one  hundred  or  more  miles  long,  is 
Turkish  territory  ;  but  the  English  government  has 
leased  it,  paying  ninety  thousand  pounds  per  year. 
This  was  done  as  a  military  strategy.  The  English 
hold  the  north  end  of  the  Mediterranean  with  Gib- 
raltar. The  south  end  is  held  by  this  island.  They 
keep  a  part  of  their  navy  and  soldiers  here,  and  can 
throw  them  very  quickly  into  Egypt  or  anywhere  in 
the  Turkish  provinces. 

Monday  morning  the  sun  rose  clear,  a  fresh  breeze 
from  the  west,  and  the  sea  looked  like  watered  silk, 
while  our  engines  in  their  quiet  way  are  pushing  us 
through  the  blue  waters.  Everybody  seems  happy. 
You  can  have  a  cup  of  coffee  from  7  to  9,  and  break- 
fast at  10,  lunch  at  i,  dinner  at  6,  and  tea  and 
crackers  at  8.30.     Retire  when  you  please. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  were  coast- 
ing along  the  shore  of  Asia  Minor.  At  our  right  the 
hills  and  mountains  had  thrust  themselves,  as  it  were, 
down  into  the  sea,  forming  a  promontory.  Back  in 
the  distance  could  be  seen  the  snow-capped  moun- 
tains. The  country  looked  rugged ;  but  no  doubt 
there  were  many  fertile  valleys  and  plains  nestled 
among  those  rugged  cliffs  that  stood  ready  to  be  the 
first  to  greet  all  mariners  and  passengers  going  up 
and  down  the  Mediterranean. 

Tuesday  we  are  to  pass  the  island  of  Rhodes. 
Finding  the  morning  clear  and  bright  with  a  smooth 
sea,  about  9  a.m.  we  bear  to  the  right,  and  run 
up  into  a  beautiful   bay,    with   hills  and   elevations 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  131 

on  both  sides  of  us,  studded  with  trees  and  foliage  of 
green.  In  some  places  the  channel  is  quite  narrow, 
reminding  us  of  different  places  on  the  Hudson. 
About  one  hour's  sail,  and  we  anchor  at  a  modern- 
looking  town  of  Vathy,  on  the  island  of  Samos. 
Our  steamer  put  off  and  takes  on  merchandise  here, 
and  will  remain  the  rest  of  the  day,  giving  us  a 
chance  to  go  ashore.  No  backsheesh  will  be  called 
for  here  ;  for,  as  they  say,  every  one  is  rich. 

Satnos  is  Turkish,  but,  like  Lebanon,  has  a  right 
to  a  Christian  governor,  the  European  powers  dictat- 
ing in  the  matter ;  and  we  see  no  mud  houses  and 
squalor  that  is  seen  in  most  of  the  Turkish  prov- 
inces. It  is  said  that  they  make  the  finest  wine  in 
the  world,  that  being  the  main  product.  Our  steamer 
is  loading  it  by  the  quantity.  They  import  as  it 
were  nothing,  but  export  much.  Hence  we  can  un- 
derstand how  they  grow  wealthy.  We  take  on  three 
hundred  and  fifty  casks  that  weigh  almost  a  ton  to 
a  cask.  We  have  wandered  upon  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  looked  the  people  over,  and  talked  with 
those  that  could  talk  English.  We  see  no  veiled 
women,  the  dress  of  all  being  quite  American ;  and 
we  are  delighted  with  Vathy.  The  island  of  Samos, 
which  is  seventy  miles  in  circumference,  the  people 
pay  the  Turkish  government  two  thousand  pounds 
a  year  for,  and  then  run  things  as  they  please.  A 
cannon  was  fired  at  sundown,  and  the  sweet  notes  of 
the  bugle  sounded,  notifying  the  people  that  twilight 
was  soon  to  settle  down  upon  them.  There  are 
forty  thousand  people  on  the  island. 

At  7.30  the  "  Senegal  "  weighed  anchor,  and  headed 


132  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

her  prow  down  the  bay ;  and  the  crescent-shaped 
town  that  had  cHmbed  from  the  shore  up  the 
mountain  a  mile  or  more  threw  out  its  lights,  and 
our  farewell  look  at  Vathy  was  a  beautiful  one,  and 
will  be  long  remembered. 

Wednesday  morning  before  we  had  left  our  cabin 
our  steamer  had  cast  anchor;  and  the  jabbering  of 
the  native  boatmen  was  all  about  as  we  hurried 
on  deck,  and  found  that  we  were  in  front  of  a  town 
of  some  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  being  the  city 
of  Smyrna.  We  have  been  sailing  over  some  of 
the  route  that  Paul  went  over  when  going  up  to 
Jerusalem.  (See  Acts  xx.)  John,  in  Revelation, 
speaks  of  Smyrna  as  having  endured.  (See  Rev. 
ii.  8,  9.) 

Smyrna  stands  next  to  Constantinople  in  com- 
mercial importance,  being  second  in  the  Turkish 
empire.  It  has  a  fine  harbor,  buildings  stretching 
along  the  bay  for  miles,  then  gradually  rising  back 
on  the  hills  that  line  the  coast.  On  the  top  of  the 
hill  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  castle  or  fort. 
South  of  this  you  will  find  the  tomb  of  Polycarp, 
the  first  martyred  bishop.  Smyrna  was  once  a  walled 
city.  The  old  ruined  wall  and  stone  aqueduct  that 
formerly  supplied  the  city  with  water  are  among  the 
things  of  interest  that  you  will  want  to  look  over. 
We  find  Smyrna  remarkably  neat  for  this  country. 
Good  water  and  plenty  of  it,  and  good  sewerage. 

The  bazaars  are  far  above  the  average  of  those. 
we  have  seen  since  entering  the  Turkish  territory. 
Many  fine  stores  with  many  French  goods  in  them 
are  to  be  found   here.     There  are  two  things  here 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  133 

that  are  household  words  with  us  in  America ;  that 
is,  Smyrna  rugs  and  figs.  We  have  seen  stacks  of 
the  former,  and  have  had  fine  figs  at  our  command. 
The  American  Board  of  Missions  have  a  hold  on  the 
people  here  in  Smyrna.  Rev.  Mr.  Bartlett,  who 
at  one  time  preached  at  Morrisville,  Vt.,  is  at  the 
head,  with  several  helpers.  The  work  is  among  the 
young.  We  have  visited  the  mission,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries have  called  on  us  on  board  the  "Senegal." 

The  sultan  of  Turkey  is  strong  in  his  Moham- 
medan belief ;  and  he  is  watching  the  influence  that 
true  Christianity  is  having  on  his  people  with  a 
jealous  eye,  and  is  bound  to  hold  them  with  rods  of 
iron. 

Thursday  morning  we  take  small  boats  for  the 
shore,  and  then  take  the  street-cars  down  the  bay 
for  a  mile,  where  we  find  a  special  train  for  Ephesus, 
some  forty-eight  miles.  We  take  an  easterly  course, 
finding  our  way  through  the  hills  that  line  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean,  and  soon  begin  to  open  out 
upon  a  broad  plain.  We  first  go  through  a  place 
called  Paradise ;  but  we  enter  it  through  a  large 
burying-ground,  which  seemed  rather  suggestive. 
But  on  we  go  ;  and  the  valley  becomes  miles  in  width, 
covered  with  fig-trees,  some  olive  vineyards,  etc. 
Off  at  your  right  you  will  see  trains  of  camels 
coming  and  returning  to  and  from  Smyrna,  loaded 
with  grain  and  merchandise  from  and  for  the 
interior.  Farther  on  you  will  see  large  herds  of 
sheep.  From  these  come  the  wool  for  the  Smyrna 
rugs. 

After  one  and  one-half  hours  of  enjoyable  riding, 


134  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

the  hills  and  mountains  that  have  guarded  us  on 
each  side  seemed  to  come  together  close  to  us,  and 
form  a  gateway  through  which  we  pass,  coming  into 
a  valley  nearly  surrounded  by  hills,  where  once  was 
the  great  city  of  Ephesus,  referred  to  in  Acts  xviii. 
19.  To-day  there  are  only  two  or  three  hundred 
people.  See  what  John  says,  Rev.  ii.  4-10.  But 
you  can  ride  miles  and  over  hundreds  of  acres,  and 
see  old  ruins.  One  thing  very  peculiar  is,  as  you 
go  into  the  town,  every  old  column  and  minaret 
seems  to  be  topped  out  with  a  stork,  standing  there 
in  its  loneliness.  The  tip  of  the  wings  and  tail  is 
black,  while  the  rest  of  the  body  is  white. 

The  modern  name  of  this  place  is  Ayassacook.  I 
think  it  ought  to  be  Storkville.  The  nests  of  the 
storks  are  on  these  columns.  A  short  distance  west 
of  this  little  village  is  quite  an  elevation,  on  which 
are  the  ruins  of  an  old  Roman  castle.  You  ascend 
to  that  point,  and  you  get  a  view  of  the  whole  valley. 
Down  at  the  base  on  the  south  side  are  quite 
respectable  ruins  of  an  old  mosque.  A  little  farther 
on  you  will  see  men  at  work  excavating,  and  it 
proves  to  be  the  site  of  that  wonderful  temple  of 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians. 

They  have  decided  to  learn  more  of  that  building 
that  Demetrius  stirred  up  such  a  commotion  about 
among  the  people,  regarding  the  shrines  of  Diana, 
and  are  spending  money  in  digging  over  the  ruins. 
I  have  always  admired  the  town  clerk  they  had  at 
that  time,  and  looked  about  for  some  of  his  docu- 
ments, but  was  not  able  to  find  them.  His  counsel, 
you  will  remember,  was  not  to  be  rash.     If  Paul  had 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  135 

done  anything  wrong,  they  had  the  law.  He  seemed 
to  be  level-headed.     (See  Acts  xix.  from  35th  verse.) 

From  this  elevation,  looking  west  about  two  miles 
distant,  you  see  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Ephesus  used  to  be  a  great  seaport  and  commercial 
city;  but  Smyrna  has  stolen  its  thunder,  and  all  this 
kind  of  traffic  is  at  Smyrna  to-day.  Righteousness 
exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people. 
The  best  thing  we  saw  at  Ephesus  was  a  comfortable 
little  hotel  where  we  went  for  lunch.  The  proprie- 
tor showed  us  his  register  for  1878,  where  General 
U.  S.  Grant  had  booked  his  name.  He  felt  quite 
proud  of  having  had  so  noted  a  guest. 

3  P.M.  found  us  back  at  Smyrna.  At  four  we 
were  steaming  out  of  the  bay.  Friday  about  noon 
we  reached  Thessalonica,  a  town  of  a  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  people,  one-half  Jews.  It  is  beau- 
tiful for  situation,  forming  a  crescent  around  the 
bay.  A  portion  of  the  place  rises  up  to  quite  a 
height ;  yet  there  is  much  level  or  rolling  land  in 
and  beyond  the  city;  and  it  has  an  extra  fine  farm- 
ing country  back  of  it.  The  business  is  largely 
trade  with  the  surrounding  country.  It  has  one 
cotton  mill,  and  they  would  like  a  woollen  mill  to 
make  flannel.  Wool,  cotton,  and  cereals  are  their 
main  products.  Our  steamer  remained  at  Thessa- 
lonica until  Saturday  morning.  The  Congregational 
party  went  ashore,  and  took  carriages  through  the 
city,  found  many  good  buildings,  thought  it  a  com- 
paratively neat  town.  We  saw  some  native  Alba- 
nians. They  wore  a  white  pleated  skirt,  very  full, 
coming  down  about  to  the  knees,  reminding  me  of 
ballet  girls. 


136  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

The  dress  of  the  people  of  the  country  we  have 
been  travelling  through  the  last  six  weeks  has  for 
its  watchword  ''variety."  You  see  everything  that 
fashion  is  heir  to,  colors  vying  with  the  rainbow  ;  and 
you  can  be  entertained  at  any  time  by  standing  on  the 
corner  of  the  street  or  sitting  on  your  hotel  piazza, 
and  watch  the  surging  crowds  as  they  pass  by. 

Reaching  Athens  nearly  finishes  our  travels  on 
the  Mediterranean,  having  been  on  her  waters  in 
all  some  fifteen  days.  She  has  behaved  beautifully, 
though  we  understand  she  is  capable  of  getting  her 
back  up  and  making  things  lively ;  but  she  has  lately 
been  on  her  good  behavior,  and  passed  us  over  her 
smooth  waters,  giving  us  a  charming  ride.  At  times 
we  were  out  of  sight  of  land,  but  usually  we  could  see 
the  foot  of  hills  and  mountains,  sometimes  towering 
so  high  as  to  hold  the  frost  of  winters  firmly  in  their 
grasp.  We  have  enjoyed  many  an  hour  on  deck, 
watching  the  light  shade  to  crimson,  blue,  gray,  and 
green,  changing  like  the  kaleidoscope, —  the  brilliant 
rays  of  morning,  the  soft  and  beautiful  shades  of  twi- 
light. This  and  the  pleasant  chatting  with  those 
who  but  three  months  ago  were  strangers  to  us,  but 
now  are  cherished  friends, —  all  this  environment 
rushes  in  upon  us  to  fill  the  book  of  memory  with  a 
richness  that  will  be  a  joy  to  us  as  time  rolls  on. 

We  have  been  sailing  through  the  archipelago,  and 
have  passed  the  plains  of  Marathon,  where  the 
Athenians  fought  and  won  that  terrible  battle  with 
great  odds  against  them  with  Darius  the  Persian. 
Saturday  night  we  were  informed  that  we  should 
reach  the  Piraeus,  which  is  the  port  of  Athens,  at  five 


LETTERS  FROM   THE   HOLY  LAND  137 

o'clock  Sunday  morning.  Wishing  to  get  a  view  of 
the  harbor  and  city  that  was  at  one  time  the  wonder 
of  the  world,  I  decided  to  be  on  deck  at  four  o'clock. 
The  boat  proved  to  be  an  hour  late.  Therefore, 
I  had  a  chance  to  enjoy  the  whole  scene.  When  I 
reached  deck,  the  hills  on  each  side  were  gathering 
down  upon  us ;  but  erelong  we  spied  in  the  distance 
the  Acropolis  with  its  ragged  top,  standing  back 
from  the  shore,  but  showing  us  the  location  of  So- 
cratiss's  home.  Soon  on  the  shore  we  could  see  tall 
chimneys  and  a  cluster  of  buildings  which  proved  to 
be  the  Piraeus.  The  "  Senegal  "  steamed  up  the  har- 
bor, and  anchored  not  very  far  from  shore.  Boatmen 
were  on  hand,  and  men,  women,  and  baggage  were 
soon  landed  on  terra  finna ;  and  we  soon  found  our- 
selves in  some  fine  landaus,  and  were  driven  five 
miles  over  as  fine  a  road  as  is  usually  found  in  any 
country.  The  cars  run  up  to  the  city ;  but  carriages 
seemed  to  be  the  order  of  the  day,  landing  us  at  the 
Grand  Hotel,  where  we  found  breakfast  ready  and 
everything  more  than  satisfactory.  Will  give  you  a 
picture  of  Athens  in  my  next  letter. 


LETTER   FROM    GREECE. 

Athens,  May  29,  1895. 

The  last  port  we  left  before  reaching  this  place 
was  on  Turkish  territory.  The  streets  were  full  of 
Turkish  trousers,  turbans,  and  the  fez,  with  all 
the  brilliant  colors  that  Persian  dyes  would  make. 
But,  when  we  reached  the  Piraeus,  a  place  of 
three  thousand  nine  hundred  people,  which  is  the 
front  door  and  vestibule  of  Athens,  we  found 
that  the  baggy  Turkish  trousers  had  wonderfully 
diminished  in  size.  The  brilliant  colors  had  become 
sombre,  the  turbans  and  the  fez  had  been  laid  away  in 
the  archives  of  the  past,  and  the  American  hat  is 
touched  as  you  meet  the  people.  For  a  little  spice 
you  would  occasionally  meet  an  Albanian  with  his 
white  pleated  skirt  coming  down  to  within  some  four 
inches  of  the  knee,  with  tight  leggings  coming  up  as 
high  as  the  law  will  allow.  The  full  Grecian  sleeves 
and  waist  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  the  sleeves  hang- 
ing down  below  the  elbow,  made  a  very  jaunty  suit, 
—  something  that  will  cause  you  to  leave  all  the  rest 
of  mankind,  and  gaze  till  your  curiosity  is  satisfied. 

When  we  landed  and  met  the  people  of  this  coun- 
try, we  noticed  that  the  gesticulating,  exciting 
motions  we  had  been  accustomed  to  were  missing ; 
but  everything  they  said  was  Greek  to  us,  and  all 
we  could  say  was  nonentenday.  However,  we  prefer 
the  Athenians  to  the  Turks  and  Syrians. 


LETTER   FROM  GREECE  139 

The  Piraeus  is  modern  and  full  of  thrift,  has  a  fine 
harbor  full  of  merchant  vessels,  and  is  doing  a  large 
inland  business.  In  ancient  times  one  of  the  old 
kings  walled  in  the  Piraeus  with  Athens,  running  the 
waits  from  the  coast  up  around  Athens,  making  the 
two  places  one,  although  they  are  some  four  or  five 
miles  apart.  As  you  take  the  drive  up  the  valley 
from  the  Pir^us,  you  will  see  the  relics  of  the  old 
walls.  When  you  reach  the  city,  you  will  find  there 
is  an  old  and  new  Athens.  The  historical  and  beau- 
tiful Athens  was  once  the  hub  of  the  world.  Art, 
science,  literature,  poetry,  and  sculpture  were  once 
centred  here ;  and,  as  you  walk  about  the  city,  you 
are  constantly  being  reminded  that  the  glory  of 
these  things  has  not  entirely  departed.  From  the 
ruins  of  the  old  temples  they  are  digging  up  the 
Corinthian,  Doric,  and  Ionic  columns  and  archi- 
tecture. 

In  the  new  and  beautiful  buildings  this  same  style 
is  being  reproduced.  This  city  reminds  us  of  Rome  in 
many  things.  Rome  has  one  advantage  ;  and  that  is 
an  abundance  of  water,  which  Athens  is  not  favored 
with.  Statuary  abounds  in  both  cities.  You  will 
see  Plato,  Socrates,  Demosthenes,  and  that  class  of 
men,  sitting  or  standing  in  the  public  places  or  con- 
nected with  the  public  buildings  of  Athens. 

If  you  are  going  to  look  over  the  city,  the  first 
thing  to  do  is  to  go  with  me  to  the  Acropolis,  the 
word  meaning  height  of  the  city.  Nature  held  out  a 
helping  hand  to  the  kings,  and  threw  up  a  conical 
hill  some  two  hundred  feet  high,  not  round,  but  ob- 
long.    The  top  is  of  lime-rock  or  granite  and    flat. 


I40  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

with  a  surface  of  some  two  acres,  being  precipitous 
except  on  the  west  side.  The  kings  threw  a  wall 
around  the  edge  of  the  top  of  this  elevation,  and  on 
the  top  built  the  temples.  The  entrance  on  the 
west  side  was  guarded  by  what  is  called  Enneapzion 
Pilasgikon,  or  nine  gates.  This  place  became  the 
home  of  the  Athenian  kings.  Here  they  sat  in 
judgment,  and  assembled  their  councils. 

Later  these  were  removed  to  the  town,  and  the 
Acropolis  devoted  to  the  gods.  These  temples  were 
at  one  time  destroyed  by  the  Persians,  and  were  re- 
built in  greater  splendor  than  ever  by  Pericles.  The 
Pantheon  was  its  pride,  and  when  at  its  best,  with 
its  white  marble  and  gold,  with  the  Erechtheion, 
was  the  glory  of  the  city,  and  has  gone  into  history 
as  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  Its  present  de- 
struction, with  part  of  its  temples  standing  and  the 
ground  strewn  with  broken  columns,  is  due  to  an 
officer  of  a  besieging  army  firing  a  bomb  into  a  mag- 
azine of  powder  that  was  stored  on  the  Acropolis. 

As  you  stand  there,  looking  down  the  bay,  you  see 
the  Piraeus.  Beyond,  some  thirty  miles,  you  see 
Acrocorinthus,  showing  the  location  of  Corinth.  As 
you  turn  and  look  south,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  the 
theatre  of  Bacchus.  This  was  without  a  covering  ; 
and  the  stage  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  while  the 
seats  were  in  amphitheatre  style,  coming  up  to  the 
upright  walls  of  the  Acropolis.  The  seats  were  of 
stone.  In  the  first  rows  were  marble  chairs  for  the 
great  men  of  the  nation.  In  the  centre  was  a 
marble  platform  in  which  sat  the  king.  The  theatre 
would    seat   thirty   thousand.     At  the  right    was    a 


LETTER   FROM  GREECE  141 

colonnade  built,  where  they  could  go  between  the 
acts  and  promenade  at  pleasure.  A  little  farther  to 
the  right  was  the  Odeion,  a  small  theatre  built  of 
stone  in  the  same  way,  only  it  was  covered. 

We  are  now  looking  over  old  Athens.  Much  of  it 
has  been  demolished  and  covered  up,  and  has  become 
a  pasture  for  the  goats.  Looking  west  again  a  few 
hundred  rods,  you  will  see  the  hill  of  the  Muses.  As 
you  commence  to  rise,  the  hill  is  a  perpendicular 
rock*.  Into  this  rock  there  have  been  made  prison 
rooms,  with  three  doors  to  enter.  Here  was  where 
Socrates  was  imprisoned,  and  ended  his  life  by  tak- 
ing hemlock.  On  the  top  of  this  elevation  is  the 
tomb  of  Philopappos.  Looking  north-west  only  a 
short  distance  from  the  Acropolis  is  what  was  in 
ancient  times  and  is  now  called  the  Areopagus,  or 
Hall  of  Mars.  Paul  went  on  to  Mars'  Hill.  (See  Acts 
xvii.)  A  few  of  us  went  there.  The  day  we  arrived 
being  the  Sabbath,  the  Rev.  C.  P.  Mills,  of  Newbury- 
port,  read  the  last  part  of  that  chapter.  It  seemed 
like  hearing  direct  from  the  author. 

A  little  west  of  Mars'  Hill  is  another  elevation, 
with  stone  steps  leading  up  to  it.  Up  those  steps 
went  Demosthenes,  when  he  spoke  to  the  people  of 
Athens.  As  you  stand  on  the  Acropolis  and  view 
the  landscape  over,  you  can  see  in  your  mind's  eye 
those  giants  moving  among  the  people,  with  ideas  in 
advance  of  their  time,  which  have  rung  down  through 
the  ages. 

Turning  around  more  to  the  north-west,  looking 
down  at  the  base  of  the  Acropolis  is  where  the 
markets  were  located,  and  where  it  is  supposed  Paul 


t42  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

often  went  and  proclaimed  the  Christian  doctrine  to 
the  Athenians.  A  little  beyond  is  the  temple  or 
tomb  of  Theseus,  which  is  said  to  be  the  best  pre- 
served relic  of  old  Athens,  with  its  Ionic  columns  all 
intact. 

We  have  been  gazing  mostly  at  our  feet.  Let  us 
now  take  a  sweep  around  the  country.  At  the  south 
some  eight  miles  lies  Mount  Hymettus.  From  this 
section  came  the  famous  honey  of  Hymettus.  We 
have  had  it  on  our  table  every  day  since  we  arrived. 
Around  to  the  east  is  Mount  Pentelikon.  From 
these  two  mountains  come  the  beautiful  marble  that 
formed  the  temples  and  buildings  of  old  Athens,  and 
the  new  city  is  indebted  to  those  mountains  for  the 
beauty  that  attracts  the  stranger's  eye  to-day.  These 
mountains  seem  to  encircle  Athens,  forming  a  beauti- 
ful background,  standing  as  it  were  like  guardians 
of  her  welfare. 

Just  east  of  the  town  is  Mount  Lykabettos,  a  small, 
conical  hill,  about  six  hundred  feet  high,  on  which  is 
the  chapel  of  St.  George.  This  hill  is  very  symmetrical, 
with  green  foliage  two-thirds  the  way  up.  The  other 
third  is  of  lime-rock  and  granite,  and  with  the  white 
chapel  on  top  is  one  of  the  first  things  the  stranger 
will  notice  as  he  comes  into  the  city.  Before  leav- 
ing the  Acropolis,  you  will  see  beyond  Mars'  Hill 
the  hill  of  the  Nymphs,  on  which  is  a  beautiful 
observatory,  built  by  the  Baron  Sina,  of  Vienna.  He 
also  gave  the  city  a  beautiful  building  called  the 
Academy  of  Science,  of  which  I  will  speak  later. 

From  our  standpoint  we  have  a  fine  view  of  the 
new  part  of  Athens.     Away  to  the  east  it  is  begin- 


LETTER   FROM  GREECE  143 

ning  to  climb  up  to  Mount  Lykabettos,  and  north  it 
is  stretching  out  across  the  plain  with  fine  streets 
and  avenues  and  foliage  of  green,  making  a  pretty- 
picture.  Here  we  find  a  great  many  pepper-trees. 
Their  beauty  is  known  to  every  one  that  has  ever 
seen  them.  The  streets  are  nearly  all  macadamized, 
and  would  be  a  paradise  for  the  cyclist.  Let  us  now 
return  to  the  Grand  Hotel,  standing  on  the  Place 
de  la  Constitution,  where  you  find  all  the  best  hotels 
of  the  city,  as  well  as  the  king's  palace.  Take 
a  carriage,  and  go  east  by  the  palace,  then  south  ten 
minutes,  and  you  come  to  the  Stadium.  This  is 
where  in  olden  times  they  used  to  have  their  chariot 
and  foot  races,  the  throwing  of  trays,  etc.  Nature 
did  her  part  in  forming  this  institution  and  art  the 
rest.  It  is  a  flat  piece  of  ground  of  some  two  acres, 
with  an  embankment  around  it  some  twenty  feet 
high,  in  the  form  of  a  horseshoe,  being  narrow  at 
the  heel,  leaving  a  place  to  enter.  Most  of  this 
was  natural,  though  the  heel  seemed  to  have  been 
fashioned  by  man. 

This  embankment  formerly  contained  marble  seats, 
and  was  capable  of  seating  fifty  thousand  people. 
In  some  of  Athens's  misfortunes  and  depressions 
these  games  were  given  up,  and  the  marble  carried 
away  and  used  for  other  purposes.  But  the  city  has 
decided  to  renew  those  exhibitions,  and  are  now 
putting  in  the  marble  seats.  They  believe  it  will 
attract  tourists  and  draw  a  large  number  of  people 
to  the  city. 

At  the  end  opposite  the  entrance  is  an  under- 
ground passage-way  leading  to  the  outside   of   the 


144  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

embankment  as  well  as  outside  the  city.  The 
victors  returned  to  the  city  the  way  they  came  in, 
crowned  with  laurels  while  the  vanquished  went  out 
through  this  tunnel,  and  never  showed  their  faces  in 
the  city  again.  The  Stadium  will  not  be  completed 
until  next  season.  Therefore,  we  will  retrace  our 
steps,  and  take  a  drive  down  the  Boulevard  de  la  Uni- 
versite,  and  return  on  the  Rue  du  Stade,  two  streets 
that  run  to  and  from  the  king's  palace,  parallel  with 
each  other,  lined  with  pepper-trees. 

Here  you  will  find  some  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
Athens.  One  of  the  first  that  will  meet  your  eye  is 
the  Academy  of  Science,  built  by  Baron  Sina,  of 
Vienna.  This  is  of  Pentelic  marble,  with  Ionic  col- 
onnades and  in  classic  Grecian  style.  As  you  enter 
to  go  up  the  broad  marble  steps  and  walk,  you  can,  if 
you  choose,  be  introduced  to  Plato  sitting  at  your  left 
and  Socrates  at  your  right.  The  marble  and  gold 
before  you  will  thrill  you  with  admiration.  The 
group  in  the  pediment  of  the  central  structure  repre- 
sents the  birth  of  Athena.  The  gables  are  filled 
with  statuary.  As  you  enter  the  main  hall,  high  up 
on  the  walls  are  beautiful  paintings  by  Griepenkerl, 
of  Vienna, —  Prometheus  lighting  his  torch  in  the 
presence  of  Athena,  Prometheus  breathing  life  into 
man  in  the  presence  of  Athena,  etc. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  hall  stands  Baron  Sina. 
He  must  have  been  a  fine  subject  to  have  operated 
upon ;  but,  aside  from  that,  the  workmanship  is  ex- 
quisite, and  will  hold  you  spell-bound  as  you  look 
upon  it.  It  was  executed,  as  was  much  of  the  other 
statuary,   by   Drosos.     Beyond   this  building  is  the 


LETTER    FROM    GREECE  I4S 

University  of  Athens,  standing  in  its  beauty  and 
wonderful  capacity,  with  sixty  professors  and  some 
two  thousand  students. 

It  is  organized  on  the  German  system,  and  is  said 
to  be  doing  fine  work.  It  has  a  library  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  volumes.  In  this  section  of  the  city 
is  the  museum,  which  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  visit 
when  you  have  time.  It  abounds  with  statuary,  and 
much  of  it  was  very  fine.  Old  Neptune  attracted  my 
attention  as  much  as  anything.  He  looked  as 
though  he  had  just  come  up  out  of  Plymouth  Pond, 
with  his  locks  dripping,  spear  in  his  hand,  and  a  big 
fish  by  his  side. 

We  must  hurry  on,  for  it  is  time  for  lunch,  but 
must  call  your  attention  to  the  Palace  Olion  built  by 
Dr.  Schliemann  and  now  occupied  by  his  widow,  also 
on  our  return  we  might  step  into  the  House  of  Par- 
liament, which  is  a  stately-looking  building,  though 
the  inside  looks  a  little  rusty. 

Greece  is  poor,  and  has  hard  work  to  raise  money 
enough  to  pay  the  interest  on  her  debt.  Dr.  Schlie- 
mann, whose  residence  I  have  just  made  mention 
of,  was  the  great  explorer  of  the  plains  of  Troy ;  and 
we  expect  to  see  much  that  he  found  there  in  the 
museum  at  Constantinople.  While  at  Athens,  we 
took  a  drive  one  afternoon  to  Eleusis,  ten  miles 
from  Athens,  going  over  what  is  called  the  sacred 
way. 

Eleusis  is  a  small  town,  mostly  Albanians  living 
there.  It  was  the  home  of  ^schylus,  the  earliest 
of  the  three  great  tragedians.  When  a  little  way 
out  of  the  city,  we  stopped,  and  looked  over  the  old 


146  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

olive  tree  planted  by  Plato  when  he  first  began  to 
teach  at  thirty  years  of  age.  This  would  make  it 
over  fifteen  hundred  years  old.  It  had  an  immense 
hollow  trunk,  with  a  few  limbs  and  sprouts  growing, 
but  it  looked  toothless,  shrivelled,  and  shorn  of  its 
beauty.  It  has  been  grazed  and  barked  by  the 
wheel  of  time.  The  olive-tree  has  a  wonderful  tenac- 
ity for  life,  and  when  the  funeral  obsequies  will  be 
held  over  it  is  uncertain. 

The  ruins  of  the  temple  of  mystery  are  at  Eleusis, 
aud  in  its  day  the  temple  must  have  been  attractive 
and  of  great  capacity.  No  one  was  ever  allowed  to 
enter  or  join  the  order  that  would  divulge  the  tenets 
of  the  organization.  Of  course,  the  ladies  would  not 
care  to  become  members. 

If  you  wish  for  a  charming  drive,  go  to  Eleusis. 
The  last  part  of  the  drive  as  you  go  around  the  Bay 
of  Eleusis  is  lovely.  You  are  in  plain  view  of  the 
Bay  of  Salamis,  where  Xerxes,  with  his  fifteen  hun- 
dred war  vessels,  fought  the  Grecians,  who  had  six 
hundred ;  and  the  old  king  had  the  satisfaction  of  sit- 
ting up  on  the  shoulder  of  the  mountain  that  comes 
down  to  the  sea,  and  see  his  navy  annihilated  by  the 
Grecians,  although  he  had  great  advantage  in  num- 
bers. 

We  returned  to  our  hotel,  having  had  a  fine  drive 
of  twenty  miles.  No  better  roads  can  be  found  any- 
where than  about  Athens.  In  the  evening  Mr. 
Cummer,  of  Michigan,  one  of  our  ps^ty,  and  myself 
went  out  and  looked  over  the  electB^C  light  station, 
and  found  Babcock  boilers,  Westinghouse  engines, 
and  Edison  system  all  doing  good  work.     They  have 


LETTER    FROM    GREECE  U? 

commenced  right  by  putting  their  wires  all  under- 
o-round  Wages  in  this  city  for  common  laborers 
are  ^2.50  per  month  and  board.  We  are  pleased 
with  Athens,  but  down  goes  my  pen  for  this  time. 
Hope  to  be  able  to  take  you  into  Constantmople  m 
a  few  days. 


LETTER    FROM    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

June  5,  1S95. 

Wednesday,  May  29,  our  steamer  was  to  leave 
Athens,  or  the  Bay  of  Piraeus,  at  7  p.m.  for  Con- 
stantinople, a  sail  of  forty-five  hours.  It  was  an 
Austrian  boat,  the  ''  Hungaria,  "  medium  size,  and 
not  first-class.  The  cabins  were  for  four  instead  of 
two,  and  the  boat  was  packed  from  stem  to  stern. 
Therefore,  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  separated. 
I  at  once  selected  my  quartette,  and  had  it  understood 
if  any  one  became  sonorous  in  the  night  he  should 
be  reported  at  once  to  the  captain.  We  had  on 
board  counts  and  countesses,  and  people  that  never 
heard  of  a  count,  all  nationalities  mixed  up  together. 

When  we  drove  down  from  Athens  and  took  small 
boats  out  to  the  steamer,  the  heavy  black  clouds 
were  hanging  on  the  mountains,  and  looked  as 
though  the  breezes  would  be  down  upon  us  before 
morning. 

However,  in  due  time  we  were  all  packed  away  for 
a  comfortable  night ;  but  early  in  the  morning  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  ^gean  Sea,  with  high  running 
billows,  facing  a  gale.  There  were  two  men  in  our 
cabin  that  prided  themselves  on  being  good  sailors. 
They  walked  the  deck  and  dining-room  of  the  "Nor- 
mannia  "  every  day  when  crossing  the  Atlantic  ;  but 
Thursday,  the  30th,  it  was  too  windy  to  be  on  deck, 
and   the  dining-room  was  anything  but  satisfactory. 


LETTER    FROM    CONSTANTINOPLE  I49 

The  bunks  in  the  cabin  seemed  to  be  the  only  place 
of  comfort  in  the  boat.  The  ladies'  cabins  were  on 
deck,  and  they  had  a  lively  time.  Some  made  their 
wills,  others  turned  over  their  letters  of  credit  for 
safe  keeping,  etc.  However,  the  "Hungaria"  kept 
on  her  course  ;  and  about  3  p.m.  we  left  the  boisterous 
sea  to  play  havoc  with  others,  and  we  were  in  the 
Dardanelles,  where  we  found  smoother  waters,  and 
the  dining-room  became  a  place  of  comfort,  and  the 
deck  was  filled  with  people. 

In  the  evening  our  engine  broke  down,  and  de- 
tained us  some  three  hours.  It  was  lucky  for  us 
that  it  did  not  happen  when  on  the  sea. 

The  next  morning  we  were  passing  the  plains  of 
Troy.  Here  was  where  the  Greeks  besieged  the 
city,  but  could  not  take  it  until  they  played  a  shrewd 
game  on  the  Trojans.  They  made  an  immense 
wooden  horse,  inside  of  which  were  some  Greeks, 
then  feigned  a  retreat.  The  Trojans  came  out  to 
gather  up  what  was  left,  and  among  other  things 
drew  into  the  city  the  wooden  horse.  In  the  night 
out  came  the  Greeks,  and  opened  the  gates  of  the 
city.  In  came  the  Grecian  army,  and  the  thing  was 
ended. 

When  we  left  the  Dardanelles,  we  sailed  into  the 
Sea  of  Marmora,  which  extends  to  the  Bosphorus. 
About  noon  the  Marmora  had  narrowed  down,  the 
shore  of  Asia  was  on  our  right,  and  Europe  on  our 
left ;  and  away  in  the  distance  at  the  left  could  be 
seen  Constantinople,  stretching  along  up  the  sea, 
domes  and  minarets  by  the  hundred.  The  mosque 
Suleimon  with  her  six   minarets,  and   the    S.  Sophia 


15°  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

with  her  dome  piercing  the  sky  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet,  one  hundred  and  eight  feet  at  the 
base,  occupying  some  fifty  thousand  square  feet,  are 
objects  that  will  set  the  Yankee  tongue  in  motion  ; 
and  he  wishes  to  know  what  those  wonderful  build- 
ings are  and  where  are  the  people  that  use  them,  but 
you  can  satisfy  him  by  giving  the  name  and  promis- 
ing to  take  him  in  later. 

Constantinople  lies  on  rolling  land.  In  some 
places  she  goes  up  from  the  sea  and  Bosphorus  quite 
abruptly,  giving  a  bold  appearance.  In  other  places 
she  retires  in  a  more  modest  manner.  As  an  Ori- 
ental town,  she  has  more  than  the  usual  amount  of 
trees  and  foliage,  which  add  to  her  beauty. 

On  her  right  as  we  sail  up  the  bay  is  Scutari. 
This  is  Asiatic  Turkey.  On  the  hill  away  in  the 
distance  is  located  the  girls'  college  and  school  be- 
longing to  the  American  Board,  which  is  doing  a 
grand  work. 

Before  going  ashore,  we  might  as  well  go  up  the 
Bosphorus  and  Golden  Horn  and  the  sweet  waters  of 
Europe.  The  Bosphorus  connects  the  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora with  the  Black  Sea,  being  eighteen  miles  in 
length  and  from  one  to  three  miles  wide. 

As  you  come  up  to  the  landing,  you  turn  to  the 
right,  leaving  the  Sea  of  Marmora.  Entering  this 
noted  channel,  take  a  small  steamer,  and  you  will 
have  a  beautiful  sail  up  and  back,  both  banks  being 
lined  with  buildings.  Perhaps  in  forty  minutes  at 
your  right  you  will  see  the  girls'  college  that  I  have 
referred  to.  Dr.  Dunning  preached  to  the  girls  last 
Sabbath,  much  to  their  satisfaction  ;  and  it  is  evident 


LETTER   FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE  15 1 

that  they  will  give  the  doctor  a  call.  Our  party  were 
all  invited  there  the  4th  to  an  afternoon  spread,  re- 
sulting in  a  splendid  time,  full  of  enjoyment. 

The  land  on  either  side  of  this  channel  is  pictur- 
esque of  itself,  rising  somewhat  abruptly  in  places, 
but  fertile  to  the  top,  scattered  over  with  Oriental 
trees  and  shrubbery.  Among  these  are  nestled  the 
houses,  as  well  as  many  fine  and  imposing  buildings. 
About  as  soon  as  you  turn  into  the  Bosphorus  at 
youV  left  from  the  shore,  up  back  as  far  as  you  can 
see  are  the  sultan's  grounds  and  palaces  and  beauti- 
ful stables  for  his  horses. 

Upon  this  elevation,  overlooking  the  waters  of 
Marmora  and  the  Bosphorus,  live  the  king  of  Turkey 
and  almost  all  of  his  relatives  ;  yet  I  have  seen  many 
a  humble  American  with  a  happier-looking  face  than 
wears  this  king  in  all  his  regal  splendor. 

A  little  farther  on,  and  you  pass  a  little  mosque 
that  cannot  be  surpassed  for  beauty.  On  this  art  and 
skill  seemingly  have  spent  their  energies.  This  is 
where  the  king  goes  to  worship,  although  he  has  a 
rule  which  he  follows;  that  is,  to  worship  once  a  year 
in  every  mosque  in  the  city. 

Farther  up  the  channel  at  your  left,  high  up  on  the 
hill,  standing  up  boldly,  is  Robert  College,  putting 
in  her  hard  knocks  for  truth,  righteousness,  and  good 
will  to  men  ;  and  she  is,  no  doubt,  an  eyesore  to  the 
sultan. 

America  is  at  fault  in  one  thing.  She  ought  to  put 
the  best  man  the  nation  affords  here  as  consul, 
a  man  level-headed,  that  will  stand  up  for  righteous- 
ness and  at  the  same  time  go  for  business.     This  she 


152  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

has  not  done.  The  Turks  are  wily,  polite,  and 
treacherous.  Our  consul  here,  they  say,  loses  his 
head.  I  do  not  think  he  is  anywhere  up  to  the  man 
at  Beyrout. 

The  German  consul  is  doing  much  toward  intro- 
ducing German  goods  into  Turkey,  but  the  people 
say  they  prefer  American  goods  when  they  can  get 
them.  I  met  a  lady  yesterday  that  has  all  her 
butter  from  Waterbury,  Vt.,  coming  through  in  tubs 
in  first-class  condition. 

But  I  am  getting  off  my  track ;  and,  as  we  are  now 
nearly  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Bosphorus,  if  you  will 
look  back  down  the  coast,  you  will  see  that  Con- 
stantinople with  its  suburbs  is  a  long  city,  being 
about  thirty  miles  in  length,  resting  on  this  channel 
and  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  and  containing  about  one 
million  of  people.  This  city  is  built  largely  of  wood, 
some  of  the  buildings  being  six  and  seven  stories 
high.  While  there  are  many  fine-looking  buildings, 
yet  a  majority  of  them  look  rusty,  never  having  seen 
paint  or  whitewash.  The  earthquake,  some  ten 
months  or  more  ago,  shook  them  up  badly ;  and  you 
can  see  many  of  the  scars  to-day. 

When  we  return  to  the  landing  and  stand  facing 
the  city,  we  see  the  course  of  the  Bosphorus  to 
the  right  and  the  Golden  Horn  going  to  the  left,  up 
through  the  city.  This  is  where  the  three  waters 
meet,  —  Marmora,  Bosphorus,  and  Golden  Horn. 

Stamboul,  the  old  part  of  Constantinople,  lies  to 
the  left  of  the  Horn  as  you  ascend  its  waters,  also 
running  down  the  shore  of  Marmora.  This  part  of 
the  city  was  once  the  capital  of  the  Greek  empire. 


LETTER    FROM    CONSTANTIXOPLE  153 

Now,  to  go  up  the  Golden  Horn,  we  will  take 
a  kaik.  There  are  said  to  be  thirty  thousand  of 
these  little  boats  in  the  waters  around  Constanti- 
nople. They  are  long  and  narrow,  being  twenty  feet 
or  more  in  length,  and  look  like  an  Indian  canoe. 
They  carry  four  people,  who  are  seated  in  the  bottom 
of  the  boat,  four  oars  with  two  men  to  handle  them, 
and  they  row  for  dear  life ;  it  is  fun  to  go  skip- 
ping over  the  waters  of  the  Golden  Horn. 

Th*e  Horn,  where  it  enters  the  sea,  is  about  one- 
half  mile  wide,  and  is  spanned  by  a  pontoon  bridge  ; 
but  we  get  into  our  kaik  just  above  this  bridge,  and 
in  a  short  time  we  go  under  another  bridge,  and 
pass  some  ten  or  fifteen  old  war  vessels,  which  are 
about  all  the  navy  Turkey  possesses. 

The  Horn  is  six  miles  long,  and  the  boatmen  will 
hustle  you  over  its  waters  in  about  fifty  minutes.  It 
grows  narrow  as  you  ascend,  the  last  two  miles 
being  the  sweet  waters  of  Europe,  and  is  a  place 
of  great  beauty,  —  groves,  villas,  places  of  amusement, 
etc.,  all  along  its  banks, — and  goes  meandering  its 
way  to  the  end. 

Friday  is  a  gala-day.  The  Turkish  ladies  are  out, 
and  these  waters  are  literally  covered    with   boats. 

It  is  a  great  place  for  picnics.  We  saw  one  place 
where  they  were  having  a  jolly  time  roasting  the 
whole  carcass  of  a  sheep ;  they  had  a  stick  run 
through  it  lengthwise,  and  were  turning  it  over  a 
big  fire  of  coal,  as  you  would  turn  a  grindstone. 
I  could  see  by  their  expression  that  they  had  an 
eye  for  a  good  dinner. 

Mutton  is  king    in   this  country,  and   I   will  just 


154  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

call  your  attention  to  the  meat  wagons  that  run 
through  Constantinople ;  and,  if  you  wish  to  go  into 
the  business  here,  it  will  cost  you  but  a  trifle  to  rig 
up  a  cart.  Take  two  boards  about  three  feet  square, 
and  hang  them  on  a  horse,  one  each  side,  have  some 
hooks  put  in  on  which  to  hang  your  roasts,  steaks, 
liver,  chops,  etc.,  and  you  are  all  right  for  business. 
Then  you  will  see  many  cheaper  arrangements  than 
that.  A  man  takes  on  his  shoulder  a  pole  some  ten 
feet  long.  On  this  he  hangs  calves'  heads,  pluck, 
lights,  and  liver, — some  things  you  might  relish,  but 
much  that  you  would  not.  This  fellow  travels  about, 
furnishing  any  one  that  sees  fit  to  buy. 

A  man  gets  full  of  these  quaint  things  in  travelling 
through  these  Oriental  towns. 

I  informed  you  not  long  ago  that  we  had  reached 
the  climax  on  dogs  at  Damascus,  but  I  should  have 
waited  until  we  reached  this  place.  The  first  day 
we  arrived  we  took  carriages,  and  rode  through  the 
streets  of  Constantinople  one  and  a  half  hours. 
We  counted  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dogs,  and  it  was 
not  much  of  a  day  for  dogs,  either.  The  dogs  have 
their  own  territory ;  and,  if  a  dog  gets  off  that  on  to 
another  dog's  ground,  they  give  him  Hail  Columbia 
until  he  gets  back  again.  Fifteen  in  one  pile  is  the 
largest  cluster  I  have  seen  yet,  but  am  prepared  for 
anything  in  the  way  of  canines,  and  also  intend  to 
keep  in  that  frame  of  mind  until  I  leave  the  Turkish 
empire. 

The  great  Turkish  annual  festival  *'Bairam,"  last- 
ing some  days,  commenced  Monday,  the  3d.  Every 
well-to-do  Mohammedan  is  expected  to  buy  a  sheep  at 


LETTER    EROM    CONSTANTINOPLE  155 

that  time,  take  it  home  and  kill  it,  and  then  divide 
up  the  meat  among  the  poor,  so  that  every  man  shall 
have  meat  in  his  house  once  a  year.  This  is  the  most 
Christian  thing,  in  my  opinion,  the  Turks  are  guilty 
of  doing.  The  2d  of  June  we  noticed  the  sheep 
were  coming  into  the  city  from  all  directions  by  the 
hundreds  and  thousands,  and  were  soon  informed 
what  was  coming. 

The  sultan  commences  the  slaughter  by  drawing 
the  khife  gently  across  a  sheep's  neck  ;  and,  as  he  was 
to  be  at  a  certain  mosque  or  castle  at  six  o'clock  that 
morning,  we  decided  to  take  a  ride  before  breakfast, 
and  were  on  the  ground  early,  getting  a  good  posi- 
tion. They  had  out  the  military.  The  sultan  rode  in 
a  carriage  drawn  by  four  horses,  and  gold  lace  seemed 
to  be  abundant.  The  officers  and  horses  in  the 
Turkish  army  appear  to  be  covered  with  tinsel,  while 
the  soldiers  were  plain  in  dress  and  appearance. 

The  sultan  is  fifty-six  years  old,  and  beginning  to 
show  iron-gray  in  hair  and  whiskers.  His  boys  rode 
in  carriages  behind  the  king,  each  one  having  a  car- 
riage by  himself.  One  of  them,  the  youngest,  at- 
tracted our  attention  as  being  a  fine  little  fellow. 

When  we  arrived  here,  and  were  fairly  settled  in 
our  hotel,  we  were  called  on  by  Dr.  Herrick,  a 
brother  of  Dr.  L.  H.  Cobb's  wife,  who  has  been  a 
missionary  here  and  at  Massavan  in  the  interior 
many  years.  We  accepted  an  invitation  from  him  to 
go  and  spend  Saturday  night  at  his  house,  which  we 
enjoyed  exceedingly,  learning  much  of  the  work  of 
the  missionaries,  also  of  the  people. 

Two  of  his  native  teachers  at  Massavan  were  ar- 


156  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

rested  some  eighteen  months  ago,  accused  of  plot- 
ting against  the  government,  and  were  sentenced 
to  be  hung;  but  the  doctor  succeeded  in  getting 
another  hearing,  and  cleared  them  by  fleeing  the 
country. 

Jealousy  and  ignorance  have  no  limit  among  the 
Turks.  A  man  telegraphed  to  Germany  for  a  pulley 
to  run  so  many  revolutions,  and  he  was  arrested  at 
once  because  the  word  **  revolution  "  was  in  the  tele- 
gram. 

All  letters  going  out  of  the  country,  if  directed  to 
editors,  are  examined,  and  destroyed  if  not  satisfac- 
tory. So  we  have  sent  all  letters,  if  possible,  through 
the  British  post-ofifice.  Not  a  scrap  of  anything  can 
be  printed,  not  even  an  auction  notice,  without  first 
going  before  the  censor. 

We  have  visited  the  Seven  Towers  that  stands  at 
the  south-west  part  of  the  city,  close  by  the  Sea  of 
Marmora.  This  is  a  large  enclosure  with  a  high 
wall  and  towers  on  the  corners,  some  two  hundred 
feet  high.  This  place  at  one  time  was  occupied  by 
the  janizaries,  and  many  a  king  lost  his  head  here. 
There  is  a  small  open  court  inside,  called  the  place 
of  heads.  Seven  thousand  were  beheaded  at  one 
time,  and  the  heads  piled  in  here.  The  blood  ran  in 
trenches  out  of  the  castle.  On  one  side  are  prison 
rooms  or  dungeons.  At  one  time  Lord  Byron  occu- 
pied one  of  them.  Near  these  rooms  is  what  is 
called  the  well  of  blood,  where  they  threw  their 
slaughtered  victims.  This  well  is  connected  by  a 
channel  with  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  so  everything  went 
out  into  sea. 


LETTER    EROM    CONSTANTINOPLE  157 

We  came  to  this  point  on  a  railroad  tram  skirting 
along  the  seashore,  and  saw  much  of  the  old  walls  of 
the  city  Stamboul.  Gala  and  Pera  form  the  main 
part  of  the  present  Constantinople.  In  Galata,  upon 
high  ground,  stands  the  Galata  Tower,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  high,  and  is  a  grand  place  to  get  a  view 
of  the  city.  In  the  Middle  Ages  it  was  called  the 
Tower  of  Christ  or  of  the  Cross.  It  is  now  used  as 
a  fire-signal  station,  using  flags  in  the  day-time,  lan- 
terns by  night.  The  alarm  of  fire  is  given  by  firing  a 
cannon  seven  times,  and  then  signal  the  location 
from  the  tower. 

The  dress  of  the  people  has  changed  here  within 
a  few  years.  While  one-half  or  more  are  Mohamme- 
dans, yet  you  see  but  little  Turkish  dress  excepting 
the  fez.     The  rest  of  the  dress  is  largely  American. 

They  have  here  what  they  call  esnap.  We  should 
call  them  labor  organizations.  Each  craft  has  an 
order  of  its  own,  though  in  so  large  a  city  there  will 
be  many  branches  of  the  same  craft.  It  is  said  there 
are  two  hundred  and  fifteen  registered  orders. 

They  have  their  patron  god-father,  and  celebrate 
once  a  year  to  his  honor.  For  instance,  Adam  is 
patron  to  the  bakers.  Eve  to  the  bath  women,  Abel 
to  the  shepherds,  Cain  to  the  grave-diggers,  Noah 
to  the  ship-builders,  etc. 

We  visited  the  tombs  of  the  kings,  where  were 
buried  two  sultans  and  several  of  their  wives.  One 
of  the  sultans  killed  himself  with  the  shears,  or  else 
the  attendants  did  the  work  for  him.  There  re- 
mains to  this  day  an  uncertainty  in  the  matter. 

The    kings'    tombs     are    covered    with    wrought 


158  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

Persian  silk,  ornamented  with  gold  lace  and  mother 
of  pearl,  and  will  dazzle  your  eyes  to  look  at  them. 
The  wives'  tombs  are  covered,  but  not  with  such 
splendor.  The  building  was  handsome  from  the 
word  go ;  and  the  dome,  though  small,  was  exqui- 
sitely beautiful. 

The  mosque  S.  Sophia,  located  in  Stamboul,  is 
the  pride  of  the  Mohammedans  of  Constantinople.  I 
have  already  given  you  an  idea  of  its  size ;  and,  as 
you  go  inside,  you  will  be  impressed  with  its  archi- 
tectural beauty.  It  is  the  third  church  that  has 
stood  on  this  ground,  two  having  been  destroyed. 
The  first  was  built  by  Constantine  the  Great,  and 
was  dedicated  to  Divine  Wisdom.  The  second  was 
built  and  dedicated  to  Theodosius.  The  present  one 
was  built  by  Justinian,  costing  over  one  million 
sterling,  and  became  the  centre  of  the  great  trans- 
actions of  state,  the  emperor's  nuptials  being 
solemnized  there,  and  many  great  and  important 
events. 

There  are  some  eight  different  varieties  of  marble 
used  in  its  construction.  Troas,  Athens,  Ephesus, 
and  many  other  places  contributed  to  the  rearing  of 
this  edifice.  It  was  turned  into  a  mosque  when  the 
Turks  conquered  Constantinople. 

Monday,  the  3d,  we  were  all  invited  to  the  Bible 
House  to  lunch  and  met  many  of  the  missionaries 
and  teachers  from  the  colleges,  and  had  a  charming 
time.  Dr.  Herrick  did  the  honors  at  the  table  in 
giving  us  a  welcome,  and  calling  out  the  speakers 
after  the  viands  were  served.  Handsome  is  that 
handsome  does.     Taking  that  as  a  basis,  Constanti- 


LETTER    FROM    CONSTANTINOPLE  159 

nople  will  have  to  look  long  and  wide  to  find  as 
handsome  a  man  as  the  doctor.  Dr.  Dunning  was 
happy  in  his  remarks,  as  well  as  several  other  minis- 
ters of  our  party.  Dr.  Riggs,  sixty-three  years  on 
the  field,  and  still  at  the  good  work,  was  with  us,  oc- 
cupying the  head  of  the  table.  We  also  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  Mrs.  Bliss,  one  of  the  veterans. 

Never  was  there  a  time  when  the  hearts  and  hands 
of  the  missionaries  in  Turkey  should  be  stayed  up  by 
the  American  people  more  than  to-day.  The  cloud 
of  uncertainty  is  hanging  over  them.  Satan  never 
yields  an  inch  of  ground  without  a  struggle.  The 
Turks  are  drawing  the  lines  closer  every  year,  and 
the  cloud  is  liable  to  burst  at  any  time. 

The  sultan  keeps  an  army  in  Constantinople  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

It  being  the  week  of  the  great  Bairam  festival,  the 
steamer  was  not  to  go  up  the  Danube  until  Satur- 
day ;  and,  instead  of  waiting  so  long,  we  decided  to 
take  a  train  Wednesday  night,  and  go  by  rail  to 
Vienna.  So  we  bid  good-by  to  Constantinople  June 
5  at  7  P.M. 


FROM    CONSTANTINOPLE  TO    PARIS. 

June  5,  1895. 

We  bade  good-by  to  Constantinople  at  5  p.m. 
Wednesday.  Thursday  morn  at  six  we  were  called 
upon  in  our  berth  for  our  passports,  as  we  had  fin- 
ished up  the  territory  of  Turkey  and  were  ready  to 
enter  Bulgaria.  We  soon  satisfied  the  Bulgarians 
that  we  were  all  right. 

From  appearances  we  had  a  mutual  admiration  for 
each  other,  as  we  had  seen  Turks  enough  ;  and  the 
Bulgarians,  no  doubt,  had  more  love  for  an  American 
than  a  Turk,  as  it  is  only  a  few  years  since  they  freed 
themselves  from  Turkish  rule  by  hard-fought  battles. 

Our  engine  was  soon  speeding  its  way  up  a  beau- 
tiful valley,  coursing  along  a  beautiful  river,  nearly 
as  large  as  the  Connecticut.  We  seemed  to  breathe 
a  freer  atmosphere  than  in  the  land  we  had  just  left. 
The  towns  we  passed  through  looked  thrifty,  the 
people  happy. 

Bulgaria  was  filled  with  Greek  Christians,  and  the 
Turks  oppressed  them  so  heavily  that  they  rebelled  ; 
and  the  Russians  came  in,  and  helped  them  gain 
their  freedom. 

We  could  see  away  ahead  in  the  distance  the 
Balkan  Mountains.  Over  these  mountains  came  the 
Russians,  who  with  the  Bulgarians  fought  the  Turks 
the  whole  length  of  this  beautiful  valley  we  are  trav- 
elling over,    driving  them   clear   to    Constantinople. 


FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE    TO   PARIS  i6i 

As  we  passed  along,  we  saw  a  great  many  mounds, 
some  twenty-five  feet  diameter  at  the  base,  ten  or 
more  feet  high,  and  learned  on  inquiry  they  were 
places  where  the  soldiers  were  buried.  Hence  all 
the  forenoon  we  were  passing  over  a  battlefield. 

About  noon  we  were  in  plain  view  of  the  moun- 
tains over  which  our  big  engine  was  to  take  us. 
These  mountains  seemed  to  be  heavily  wooded. 
The  river  was  beginning  to  run  rapidly ;  and  we 
found  the  people  were  using  the  water  power  to  run 
saw-mills,  cutting  out  lumber  by  the  train-load. 

Our  engine  tugged  and  puffed  away  vigorously, 
and  at  times  we  moved  slowly  ;  but  on  we  went,  and 
about  three  o'clock  were  on  top  of  the  mountain, 
where  we  accelerated  our  speed,  and  went  plunging- 
down  the  other  side,  and  at  six  o'clock  we  had 
crossed  Bulgaria,  and  were  ready  to  enter  Servia, 
and  of  course  had  to  pull  out  our  passports  again. 
Here  we  had  our  dinner ;  and  everything  was  looked 
over  by  a  set  of  red-tape  fellows,  that  appeared  to 
have  a  great  weight  of  responsibility  upon  them- 
selves. But  we  took  things  easily,  and  soon  after 
our  train  started  we  were  tucked  away  in  our  berth 
for  a  good  night's  rest  and  sleep,  waking  early  the 
next  morning  as  we  were  going  into  a  lovely  city, 
embowered  in  trees  and  shrubbery  and  flowers, 
located  where  she  could  dip  her  feet  into  the  beau- 
tiful Danube  ;  and  it  proved  to  be  the  city  of  Bel- 
grade, the  largest  city  in  Servia.  Here  is  located 
the  king's  palace. 

In  passing  through  Bulgaria,  we  became  much  in- 
terested   in  the  people.     They  seemed    industrious, 


1 62  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

mostly    in    agricultural    pursuits,    raising   corn    and 
large  quantities  of  winter  rye. 

Bulgaria  is  in  about  the  same  latitude  as  Vermont, 
though  I  think  the  crops  are  more  forward  than 
they  are  in  Vermont.  The  corn  was  being  hoed, 
and  the  rye  will  be  ready  to  harvest  in  about  two 
weeks. 

Here  the  ladies  —  for  they  looked  like  ladies  — 
worked  in  the  field.  They  had  on  their  red  skirts 
and  Zouave  jackets,  some  of  them  gayly  trimmed, 
and  looked  jaunty.  We  saw  but  few  men  in  the 
field.  They  seemed  to  do  the  ploughing,  the  hoeing 
being  done  by  the  women. 

It  is  a  question  whether  women's  rights  do  not 
prevail  here,  and  the  men  are  at  home  making  the 
bread  and  taking  care  of  the  children ;  but  the 
women  and  girls  looked  fresh  and  healthy,  and 
swung  the  hoe  vigorously. 

At  every  station  you  see  armed  police.  They  wear 
white  coats  and  caps,  blue  trousers  with  gilt  buttons 
and  trimmings ;  and  we  called  them  handsome. 

We  enjoyed  our  ride  through  Bulgaria  exceed- 
ingly. At  Belgrade  we  had  to  be  overhauled  again 
by  the  government  dignitaries,  as  we  were  to  cross 
the  Danube  and  enter  Hungary  and  Austria. 
Hand-bags  and  everything  had  to  go  to  the  cus- 
tom-house. Cigars,  whiskey,  and  dynamite  seemed 
to  be  the  articles  they  were  looking  for,  one  about 
as  destructive  as  the  other.  The  Congregational 
party  had  no  trouble  with  anything  but  the  former, 
and  not  heavily  loaded  with  that ;  but,  after  one 
hour  of  unrolling  of   red  tape   and  haggling   away, 


FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE    TO   PARIS  163 

our  train  was  crossing  the  Danube  over  a  beautiful, 
substantial  bridge.  Passing  through  Servia  in  the 
night,  we  shall  not  be  able  to  trumpet  forth  her 
glory,  but  will  merely  say  it  is  a  good  country  to 
sleep  in,  and  Belgrade,  her  capital,  looked  fine. 

After  we  crossed  the  Danube,  we  swept  out  into 
a  level  plain,  and  soon  were  lost  in  a  fertile  prairie, 
beautiful  land  so  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  looking 
like  the  West,  only  it  was  dotted  over  with  trees  that 
added  *to  its  beauty. 

In  this  country  the  women  take  the  same  part  in 
the  field  as  in  Bulgaria ;  and  we  see  but  little  im- 
provement in  farming  tools,  although  we  saw  them 
ploughing  with  ploughs  that  had  mould  boards  turn- 
ing the  furrov/,  and  two  small  wheels  running  in 
front.  On  these  ploughs  there  were  two  and  three 
yoke  of  oxen,  even  in  light  ploughing. 

The  oxen  are  the  same  breed  that  we  saw  at 
Rome, —  white,  with  very  large  horns  running  up 
into  the  air. 

About  noon  we  were  running  through  a  country 
of  clay  soil  and  much  standing  water,  and  evidently 
the  people  had  studied  gooseology ;  for  no  Vermonter 
ever  saw  such  flocks  of  geese.  One  hundred  in  a 
•  flock  was  no  surprise,  and  we  were  leaving  one  flock 
and  running  into  another  for  hours. 

At  one  o'clock  our  train  pulled  into  a  spacious 
depot,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  an  American-look- 
ing city  of  five  hundred  thousand  people,  called 
Budapest,  lying  on  the  Danube,  occupying  both 
sides  of  the  river.  We  took  carriages  for  the  hotel, 
where  we  remained  one  day. 


1 64  VERMONT   TO  DAMASCUS 

I  hardly  know  how  to  hold  up  the  town  before  you 
that  you  may  get  a  glimpse  of  its  beauty.  The 
place  is  but  little  known,  but  is  rapidly  coming  to 
the  front,  and,  if  not  already,  will  soon  be  the  finest 
city  in  Europe.  We  come  into  it  sweeping  over  the 
Peakos  valley.  As  you  look  upon  the  city  and  beyond, 
you  see  the  advance  guard  or  picket  line  of  the 
mighty  Alps  coming  gracefully  down  to  the  Danube. 
On  one  of  these  shoulders  or  arms  of  the  mountain 
the  king  has  his  palace,  with  his  terraced  gardens  in 
front,  of  walks,  trees,  shrubbery,  and  flowers,  coming 
down  to  the  Danube,  and  in  the  sunlight  cast  their 
reflections  in  its  waters,  and  become  the  crownins: 
point  of  a  beautiful  picture. 

The  Danube  goes  sweeping  down  through  the 
city.  One  side  is  level,  where  the  great  marts  of 
business  have  gathered,  throwing  up  massive  build- 
ings, not  as  high  as  those  of  Chicago,  but  from  five 
to  eight  stories,  beautiful  in  structure,  with  statuary 
and  ornamentation  that  the  most  artistic  eye  cannot 
criticise. 

Her  streets  are  broad,  and  look  as  if  they  had  been 
swept  and  garnished.  All  over  her  borders  are  com- 
mons and  small  parks,  beautiful  with  art  as  well  as 
nature.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, are  those  graceful  elevations  coming  down  from 
the  Alps.  Upon  these  has  climbed  the  residence  part 
of  Budapest,  or  at  least  from  appearance  the  wealthy 
have  gone  up  there,  building  fine  residences,  giving 
a  fine  background  to  the  lovely  city. 

Budapest  has  considerable  manufacturing.  It  is 
said  to  have  a  model  flouring  mill,  from  which  the 


FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE    TO   PARIS  165 

mills  of  Minneapolis  were  patterned.  She  has  the 
finest  suspension  bridge  in  the  world,  spanning;  the 
Danube,  costing  two  and  a  quarter  millions.  Near 
the  bridge  in  the  square  are  mounted  two  splendid 
statues  of  distinguished  Hungarians.  One  is  Count 
Stephen  Szechenyi,  who  stands  there  resting  his  eye 
upon  two  of  his  great  creations  :  one  is  the  suspen- 
sion bridge,  and  the  other  is  the  Hungarian  Acad- 
emy of  Science.  The  other  statue  is  Francis  Deak, 
the  sage  of  the  country,  sitting  on  a  magnificent 
pedestal.  This  great  statesman  succeeded  in  com- 
posing the  contentions  that  had  lasted  years  between 
Hungary  and  Austria,  and  turning  them  into  re- 
lations of  firm  friendship,  and  has  proved  a  great 
blessing  to  both  nations. 

From  the  suspension  bridge,  along  the  river  bank 
for  a  long  distance,  is  what  is  called  the  Corso. 
Here  runs  a  beautiful  street  that  carriages  are  not 
allowed  on  in  the  evening.  This  is  lined  with  gar- 
dens and  small  parks  ;  and,  being  on  the  banks  of 
the  river,  it  is  charming.  Here  you  must  take  a 
stroll  in  the  evening,  and  see  the  brave  men  and 
fair  women,  as  well  as  children,  of  Budapest.  No- 
where in  our  travels  have  we  seen  a  people  appar- 
ently so  happy.  In  going  through  this  Corso,  you 
will  see  thousands  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  also 
children,  in  gay  attire,  some  walking,  others  sitting 
at  their  little  tables,  partaking  of  some  light  viands 
with  water  or  lemonade,  chatting  merrily.  We  saw 
but  very  little  beer  or  wine,  nothing  in  the  way  of 
drunkenness  or  rowdyism.  The  people  seem  to 
spend  much  time  out  doors ;  and  we  have  seen  very 


1 66  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

few  sickly,  puny-looking  people.  God's  fresh  air 
and  exercise  seem  to  be  a  panacea  for  all  ills. 

Budapest,  we  understand,  has  fine  schools,  mu- 
seums, art  galleries,  etc.,  which  we  did  not  have 
time  to  visit. 

Saturday,  June  9,  we  took  our  train  for  Vienna,  a 
run  of  five  hours.  Our  travel  through  Austria  has 
been  a  succession  of  surprises,  finding  it  a  beautiful 
farming  country  and  scenery  unsurpassed  anywhere. 
In  travelling  through  this  country,  some  of  our  party 
have  had  their  faces  badly  twisted  by  trying  to  pro- 
nounce the  names  of  the  stations  and  towns  as  we 
come  along,  such  as  Tzaribrab,  Szabadka,  Kiskoros, 
etc.;  but  it  probably  will  not  be  lasting,  and  our 
friends  will  have  no  trouble  in  picking  us  out  when 
we  return. 

We  reached  Vienna  Saturday  evening,  and  are 
quartered  at  the  Hotel  Oesterreichischen,  and  shall 
remain  here  until  Wednesday  morning,  when  we 
leave  for  Paris,  being  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
The  run  is  made  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Vienna  has  some  sixteen  hundred  thousand  people, 
and  is  near  the  Danube.  There  are  two  small  tribu- 
taries of  the  Danube  that  run  through  the  city. 

Vienna  is  known  the  world  over,  and  it  will  be 
foolish  for  me  to  weary  you  in  taking  you  through 
the  city  or  pointing  out  things  that  you  are  familiar 
with.  You  will  remember  her  bread  at  the  World's 
Fair  at  Philadelphia  in  1876,  and  we  find  she  still 
retains  the  ai;t.  So  we  are  enjoying  that  part  of  the 
table  cVJiote.  Vienna  at  one  time  was  a  walled  city, 
that  was  when  her  borders  were  narrow  to  what  they 


FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE    TO   PARIS  167 

are  now ;  but  the  city  grew,  and  they  built  outside, 
and  the  wall  became  of  little  use  and  was  taken 
away,  and  the  ground  was  made  into  a  boulevard,  and 
is  called  the  Rin^strasse.  It  is  a  circular  street 
now  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  to  go  around  it 
will  make  a  trip  of  some  three  miles.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  feet  wide.  There  are  three 
drive-ways  for  carriages ;  but  each  side  of  the  centre 
one  are  walks  for  the  people,  some  forty  feet  wide, 
lined  feach  side  with  trees.  These  with  generous  side- 
walks next  to  the  buildings  make  a  great  thorough- 
fare, and  nearly  all  of  the  public  buildings  and  fine 
residences  are  on  this  boulevard.  You  will  find 
crowds  moving  on  the  Ringstrasse  at  all  times  of 
day  and  night. 

One  thing  new  we  saw  at  Budapest,  also  here  in 
V^ienna,  is  the  way  they  drive  many  of  their  single 
teams.  The  small  wagons,  instead  of  having  shafts 
or  thills,  as  we  do  in  America,  have  a  pole ;  and  the 
horse  is  hitched  in  on  the  left-hand  side  as  you  sit 
in  the  wagon.  The  first  one  I  saw  a  lady  was  driving. 
I  came  very  near  going  to  her  and  offering  her  my 
sympathies.  I  thought  she  had  been  unfortunate,  and 
one  of  her  horses  had  broken  his  neck  or  something 
else,  and  she  was  getting  home  with  one  horse  the 
best  she  could  ;  but  she  was  too  lively  for  me.  I  was 
not  able  to  reach  her,  and  was  saved  the  embarrass- 
miCnt ;  and  I  soon  learned  that  that  was  the  way 
they  were  all  driving,  but  I  have  no  desire  to  take 
the  fashion  home  to  America. 

Sunday,  the  9th,  we  went  to  the  St.  Stephen 
Church.     It  is  the  largest  cathedral  in  Austria,  tower 


1 68  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

and  spire  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  We 
heard  beautiful  music  :  organ,  trumpets,  cymbals,  and 
fine  voices  would  take  you  almost  from  your  feet. 
We  saw  them  swing  the  golden  censer,  burning  in- 
cense.    The  rest  of  it  was  all  Dutch  to  me. 

In  one  of  the  chancels  of  the  church  was  a 
sarcophagus  of  Frederic  III. 

We  also  took  a  drive  to  the  king's  summer  pal- 
ace on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  went  through 
all  its  gaudy  and  elegant  rooms,  one  room  only 
twenty-five  feet  square  costing  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  finished  in  mosaic.  The  grounds  and 
gardens,  which  were  immense  in  size,  were  more 
enjoyable  than  the  house.  Here  the  king  entertains 
his  royal  guests  that  come  from  other  countries. 

We  also  visited  the  Rathhaus,  what  we  would 
call  a  town  house.  It  was  a  building  of  great 
capacity,  elegant  in  finish.  In  it  is  one  hall  three 
hundred  feet  long,  sixty  feet  wide,  with  a  colonnade 
and  balcony  fifteen  feet  wide,  running  the  whole 
length,  two  rows  of  chandeliers  the  length  of  the 
hall.  This  is  where  they  have  their  banquets  and 
public  gatherings.  In  this  building  the  business  of 
the  nation  is  transacted.  The  building  was  dedi- 
cated in  1883,  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
nation's  freedom  from  the  Turks.  It  cost  six  mill- 
ions, and  is  an  attractive  ornament  to  Vienna. 

I  will  call  your  attention  to  the  Capuchin  church. 
Under  this  church  are  large  vaults,  subterranean 
passages.  Here  you  will  find  the  royal  families  of 
Spain  and  Austria  sleeping  their  last  sleep.  There 
are    one    hundred    and    ten    already   placed    there. 


FROM  CONSTANTIA^OPLE    TO   PARIS  169 

Many  of  the  sealed  caskets  are  kept  covered  with 
flowers.     Maximilian's  casket  was  pointed  out  to   us. 

It  used  to  be  the  custom  in  olden  times,  when  a 
lady  of  the  royal  family  was  to  be  married,  to  place 
her  here  the  night  before  the  nuptials.  One  lady 
died  the  next  morning  from  the  shock  this  ordeal 
gave  her. 

A  few  minutes'  walk  from  here  we  will  step  into 
the  Augustinian  church,  and  see  the  beautiful 
marble  statues  standing  at  the  tomb  of  Archduchess 
Maria  Christina,  expressing  sorrow  and  benevolence. 
This  was  Canova's  masterpiece. 

As  you  go  around  the  Ringstrasse,  you  will 
notice  a  large  square  or  park,  with  fountains,  trees, 
and  flowers.  Each  side  there  are  imposing-looking 
buildings.  One  is  the  museum,  the  other  is  the 
building  of  natural  history.  Though  you  are  going  to 
Paris  and  London  and  will  have  a  chance  to  see 
great  things  in  this  line,  yet  it  will  pay  you  to  drop 
in  for  a  half-day  at  each  place. 

The  mineral  collection  in  the  natural  history 
building  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world.  We 
saw  an  opal  valued  at  one  million.  They  have  col- 
lections from  all  over  the  world.  Saw  Vermont 
granite  and  marble,  Michigan  copper,  etc. 

The  parks  and  gardens  of  Vienna  are  delightful. 
You  must  be  sure  and  go  to  the  Prater.  This  is  a 
vast  territory  just  outside  the  city,  shaded  with  trees 
and  shrubbery,  and  is  fitted  up  for  all  kinds  of 
amusement,  restaurants  and  gardens  where  you  can 
go  and  get  coffee,  lemonade,  beer,  and  anything  to 
eat  you  desire,  bands  of  music  playing  in  all  direc- 


170  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

tions.  In  the  evenings  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
people  are  gathered  here  for  an  hour  of  enjoyment  ; 
and,  if  you  wish  to  see  Vienna  in  all  its  life  and 
gayety,  then  go  to  the  Prater. 

As  you  pass  through  the  streets  of  Vienna,  you 
will  be  interested  in  the  express  wagons.  They  are 
drawn  by  large  dogs,  usually  men  or  boys  with  them, 
but  occasionally  women  are  seen  doing  the  trucking 
of  the  city.  Wednesday,  the  12th,  at  9  a.m.,  our  train, 
the  Oriental  express  for  Paris,  left  the  station  with 
all  hands  on  board,  and  went  sweeping  out  into  the 
country  of  hills  and  vales,  embowered  with  trees  and 
shrubbery,  among  which  nestled  cottages  and  villas  ; 
and  occasionally  upon  some  hill-top  would  be  seen  a 
castle,  standing  like  some  monarch,  owning  all  he 
could  survey.  Farther  on  comes  the  broad  field, 
with  the  tiller  of  the  soil  holding  possession. 

About  2  P.M.  we  crossed  the  line  irfto  Germany, 
where  we  could  see  the  forest  that  had  been  planted 
in  rows,  beautiful  spruces,  tall,  straight  as  arrows, 
fields  of  clover  and  grain, —  these  views  constantly 
changing. 

At  four  o'clock  for  miles  we  went  sweeping  around 
the  outskirts  of  Munich,  covering  acres  of  plain, 
and  level  country,  dotted  over  with  tall  chimneys, 
and  from  appearance  was  a  real  manufacturing  city. 
Iron,  cotton,  and  leather  goods  are  made  here,  but 
the  greatest  of  all  productions  is  her  beer.  Munich 
beer  is  known  everywhere,  and  goes  out  of  Munich 
every  day  by  the  train-loads. 

Leaving  this  place,  we  soon  plunged  in  among  the 
mountains,  following  down  a  meandering  river  for 
miles. 


FROM  CONSTANTINOPLE    TO   PARIS  171 

We  had  all  day  long  been  drinking  in  the  beautiful 
scenery,  and  were  thankful  that  scenery  was  not 
intoxicating.  If  it  had  been,  twilight  would  have 
found  us  in  bad  condition.  We  looked  about  for  a 
Joshua  to  stay  the  sun,  that  we  might  have  daylight 
all  the  way  to  Paris  ;  but  not  a  Joshua  to  be  found. 
So  Night  spread  her  mantle  over  the  scene ;  and  we 
went  to  our  berths,  rising  at  four  the  next  mornmg, 
finding  the  country  as  beautiful  as  ever,  though  the 
farming  lands  from  appearance  not  as  fertile  as 
Austria  and  Germany. 

We  are  now  in  France,  and  begin  to  enter  the 
suburbs  of  Paris.  It  is  evident  that  Germany  and 
France  pay  great  attention  to  forestry.  The  canals, 
roads,  and  everything  else  seem  to  be  lined  with 
trees,  besides  acres  of  forests  that  have  been  sown 
or  planted. 

We  shall  remain  here    some  six  days,  and   then 

push  on  to  London. 

Our  itinerary  is  about  ended  for  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  and  I  drop  my  pen  here. 

Now  I  have  taken  you  across  the  Atlantic, 
through  the  Mediterranean,  ^gean,  and  Marmora 
Seas,  have  been  with  you  on  the  Nile,  traveled 
over  land  with  you  through  Italy,  Egypt,  Palestine, 
Syria,  Greece,  Turkey,  Bulgaria,  Servia,  Hungary, 
Austria,  Germany,  and  into  France,  and  you  ought 
to  be  able  now  to  travel  alone  ;  for  I  must  hurry 
away  to  old  Vermont,  and  to  a  people  that  I  expect 
have  never  looked  as  handsome  to  me  as  they  will 
when  I  next  meet  them. 

If  you  get  into  trouble,  write  me ;  and  I  will  send 


172  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

you  my  passport,  and  perhaps  my  letter  of  credit, 
although  it  will  probably  look  thin  when  I  reach 
Springfield,  but  there  will  probably  be  enough  left 
to  help  you  out.  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  you  when 
you  return,  and  we  will  talk  over  the  sights,  scenes, 
and  wonders  of  the  last  four  months. 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND. 

When  I  bade  you  good-by  at  Paris  June  12,  the 
Oriental  party  had  their  faces  turned  toward  New 
England,  and  the  Vermonters  had  dreams  of  the 
Green  Mountain  State.  Our  itinerary  was  taking  us 
thro-ugh  to  New  York  without  any  stay  of  proceed- 
ings anywhere.  Though  our  tickets  would  hold  good 
through  the  season,  the  party  decided  to  break  up  in 
the  beautiful  city  of  Paris,  and  each  one  take  the 
reins  in  his  own  hands. 

Our  managers  went  to  their  homes,  and  we  were 
left  as  free  as  the  breezes  of  the  mountains.  For 
one,  I  was  anxious  to  see  old  Scotland,  and  look 
over  the  places  where  our  grandfathers  and  grand- 
mothers are  sleeping,  and  shake  hands  with  our 
cousins,  see  the  country  where  the  pure  Scotch 
blood  flows  freely  in  the  veins  of  the  people,— an 
article  that  is  current  not  only  in  New  England, 
but  the  world  over. 

I  shall  be  only  too  happy  to  take  you  to  Edin- 
burgh, Glasgow,  and  through  the  Trossachs,  getting 
the'^most  we  can  out  of  Scotland  in  the  time  allowed 
us.  If  I  do  this,  I  might  as  well  pick  up  the  thread 
where  I  dropped  it  June  12.  I  shall  not  detain  you 
very  long  either  in  Paris  or  London. 

In  Paris  the  first  proper  thing  to  do  is  to  take 
a  small  boat  up  the  Seine,  stopping  at  the  Eiffel 
Tower,  where  you  can  ascend  up  into  the  heavens 


J  74  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

either  in  a  balloon  or  go  up  in  the  elevator  of  the 
tower.  The  balloon  has  been  started  recently  as  an 
opposition  scheme.  It  has  one  advantage  in  this 
way,  you  can  go  as  high  as  you  please.  It  is  held 
by  a  rope ;  and,  when  you  get  all  of  the  ethereal  re- 
gions you  care  for,  they  pull  it  down.  However, 
when  you  are  up  in  these  institutions,  Paris  is  spread 
out  before  you  like  a  map ;  and,  if  you  have  taken 
a  guide  with  you,  which  is  the  best  thing  to  do,  he 
will  point  out  all  the  wonderful  things  of  the  city, 
and,  when  you  return  to  your  hotel,  you  start  out 
more  intelligently  than  you  could  without  this  pano- 
ramic view. 

As  you  come  up  from  the  boat  near  the  obelisk  I 
referred  to  in  my  Egyptian  letter,  on  the  Rue 
Champs  Elysees,  the  finest  street  or  avenue  probably 
in  Paris,  looking  in  one  direction  you  see  the  Tui- 
leries,  the  other  way  the  Royal  Arch  of  Napoleon. 

This  arch  is  a  wonderful  structure,  standing  on  a 
slight  elevation.  The  great  warrior  had  the  streets 
laid  out  so  that  they  radiated  from  this  point  like 
the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  in  order  that  he  might  plant 
his  cannon  at  this  arch,  and  sweep  the  city  in  all 
directions.  But  the  requiem  has  been  chanted  over 
this  great  general ;  and  he  is  now  sleeping  in  Hotel 
des  Invalides,  a  place  you  will  want  to  visit  before 
leaving  the  city.  The  sun,  as  it  shines  through  the 
pale  blue  and  yellow  glass,  gives  a  peculiar  icy  ap- 
pearance, and  will  prove  to  be  a  picture  unlike  any- 
thing you  ever  saw  before.  Here  you  will  see  some 
of  the  cannon  he  captured,  as  well  as  the  flags  of 
other  nations   that  he   gathered  in    his   hard-fought 


FAAVS    TO    SCO  TLA XD  17$ 

battles.  On  the  pavements  around  his  tomb  are  in- 
scribed the  names  of  the  battles  he  won. 

Leading  from  the  altar  above  to  the  crypt  beneath 
are  flights  of  steps,  at  the  foot  of  which  is  a  bronze 
door  with  two  caryatides  in  bronze,  by  Durot,  one 
bearing  a  sceptre  and  crown,  and  the  other  a  globe. 
Over  this  door  are  words  taken  from  Napoleon's 
will,  which  your  guide  will  interpret  in  English,  as 
follows  :  "  I  desire  that  my  ashes  shall  repose  on  the 
banks  of  the  Seine,  among  the  French  people  I  have 
loved  so  much." 

When  we  consider  the  thousands  that  lost  their 
lives  to  gratify  his  pleasure  and  ambition,  it  sounds 
rather  ironical.  Hotel  de  Ville  is  another  place  that 
will  fill  your  eyes  with  admiration.  The  old  building 
that  stood  there  was  commenced  in  1533,  and  was 
nearly  a  century  in  building.  It  was  destroyed  in 
1871.  The  Communists  had  taken  possession  of  it, 
using  it  for  several  months  as  their  headquarters, 
and  had  stored  in  the  building  large  quantities  of 
explosive  material.  When  they  were  attacked  by 
the  soldiers,  who  shot  every  one  that  came  out,  some 
foolhardy  fellow  inside  touched  oE  the  explosives, 
which  destroyed  the  building  and  all  there  was  in  it. 

In  this  condition  it  remained  many  years,  but  was 
finally  rebuilt  in  greater  splendor  than  the  original. 

The  Champs  Elysees  is  very  broad,  and  up  the 
avenue,  past  the  Royal  Arch,  the  people  drive  to 
the  two-thousand-acre  park ;  and  afternoons  it  is  full 
of  people  going  and  coming  to  that  resort.  Much  of 
the  way  of  this  great  avenue  it  is  virtually  a  park. 
On  either  side  and  in  the  groves  are  built  theatres 


176  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

and  anything  and  everything  for  amusement,  lighted 
in  the  evening  with  thousands  of  globe  lights.  A 
stroll  up  and  back  the  Champs  Elysees  from  8  till 
II  P.M.  will  feed  the  curiosity  of  any  Yankee  that 
may  happen  to  be  in  Paris.  One  evening  will  be 
enjoyed  at  the  opera,  where  you  will  see  the  finest 
opera  building  in  the  world. 

Place  de  la  Concorde  is  one  of  the  finest  squares 
in  Europe,  and  carries  with  it  much  of  historical 
interest.  It  was  once  called  Place  de  la  Revolution. 
Here  the  guillotine  was  erected.  Louis  XVI.  lost 
his  head  here,  also  his  queen,  Marie  Antoinette, 
Madame  Roland,  Charlotte  Corday,  as  well  as  hun- 
dreds of  the  nobility. 

Some  morning  early,  say  eight  o'clock, — for  that 
is  early  in  Paris, —  you  had  better  visit  Les  Halles, 
the  great  market,  situated  at  the  rear  of  the  Rue 
St.  Honore.  This  is  a  wonderful  sight,  and  gives 
you  some  idea  of  the  gastronomical  powers  of  the 
French  people,  or,  in  other  words,  the  amount  it 
takes  to  feed  a  large  city.  Le  Pantheon,  or  Sainte 
Genevieve,  is  situated  on  the  hill  Sainte  Genevieve. 
This  church  was  founded  in  1764  by  Louis  XIV.,  in 
accordance  with  a  vow  made  by  him  when  ill  at 
Metz. 

It  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  and  some- 
what resembles  the  Pantheon  at  Rome.  In  the 
vaults  of  this  church  have  been  placed  the  bones  of 
such  men  as  Voltaire,  Victor  Hugo,  and  others  of 
renown.  Visiting  these  old  churches  in  Paris  can 
be  carried  to  any  extent  one  may  wish ;  but  most 
people  get  full  of  these  things  about  the  second 
day,  and  prefer  some  other  diet. 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  i77 

You  can  step  into  a  meat  market  where  they 
handle  nothing  but  horseflesh,  and  see  the  nice,  fat 
quarters  hanging  there  ;  also  the  place  where  they 
make  sausages  out  of  mule  meat. 

We  can  visit  the  place  where  they  erect  the  scaf- 
fold where  they  behead  the  criminals.  This  is  done 
on  one  of  the  main  streets  of  Paris,  free  to  all. 
Paris  has  fine  streets,  which  are  kept  beautifully 
clean.  No  city,  in  my  opinion,  is  ahead  of  them  in 
that  respect. 

The  people  of  France  are  groaning  under  tax- 
ation. fTheir  debt  is  some  four  thousand  million 
dollars.  They  have  half  a  million  standing  army, 
another  half  million  that  drill  a  part  of  the  time, 
also  a  million  men  enrolled  that  they  can  call  out 
on  short  notice.  The  priests  draw  their  money  out 
of  the  state  treasury.  Sugar  retails  at  twelve  cents 
per  pound,  and  every  pound  that  is  made  has  to 
pay  a  duty  to  the  government.  The  idea  of  making 
beet  sugar  was  first  conceived  in  France.  It  is  said 
that  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  naval  battle  of  Trafal- 
gar, although  Nelson  lost  his  life,  the  English  were 
victorious  on  the  seas,  crushing  out  the  navy  of 
France.  They  had  been  having  their  sugar  from 
the  islands.  This  supply  was  then  cut  off ;  and  the 
people  of  France  became  desperate,  and  were  even 
on  the  verge  of  riots.  Napoleon  called  together  his 
greatest  chemists,  and  told  them  they  must  devise 
some  way  to  manufacture  sugar ;  and  it  resulted  in 
extracting  the  sweet  from  the  beet. 

While  in  Paris,  we  visited  the  Sevres  china  works. 


178  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

Their  wares  are  noted  the  world  over.  In  their 
ware-rooms  you  will  see  large,  elegant  pictures 
painted  on  porcelain  and  then  fired  or  burned, 
which  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  accomplish. 

We  have  feasted  our  eyes  as  we  have  traveled 
through  the  Old  World  on  the  works  of  the  old 
masters,  and  seemingly  nothing  has  outdone  the 
wonderful  work  of  art  accomplished  by  this  com- 
pany. The  process  of  manufacturing  their  wares 
was  shown  to  us,  and  was  exceedingly  interesting. 

Before  we  leave  for  London,  we  will  take  a  day 
and  visit  Versailles.  This  can  be  done  by  railroad 
train  or  tramway;  but  the  most  enjoyable  way,  if 
there  is  a  company  of  you,  is  to  charter  a  tallyho. 
It  is  a  ten-mile  drive  through  charming  scenery; 
and,  with  the  jokes,  puns,  and  conundrums  that  ac- 
company such  a  drive,  it  is  a  thing  of  anticipation 
and  delight. 

Versailles  is  a  place  of  some  fifty  thousand  in- 
habitants. The  main  thing  to  visit  is  the  palace 
and  grounds,  with  immense  fountains  that  play 
only  the  first  Sunday  in  each  month,  except  on 
special  occasions.  Louis  XIII.  built  the  first  part 
of  the  palace,  and  Louis  XIV.  added  to  the  original, 
and  employed  Le  Brun  to  decorate  the  entire  struct- 
ure inside  and  Lenotre  to  design  and  lay  out  the 
grounds,  expending  some  forty  million  pounds. 

This  palace  was  used  as  the  seat  of  the  mon- 
archy until  1789,  when  the  Assembly  Nationale 
overthrew  the  government,  giving  a  free  hand  to 
the  Revolutionists,  who  sacked  the  palace  and  ended 
its    days    as    a   royal    abode.     Later   Louis  Philippe 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  179 

spent  six  hundred  thousand  pounds  in  putting  it  in 
repair.  H*e  redecorated  and  converted  it  into  a 
picture  gallery  and  museum ;  and,  as  a  whole,  it  is 
to-day  one  of  the  finest  attractions  of  Paris.  While 
there,  you  will  want  to  visit  the  building  where  the 
royal  carriages  are  kept,  those  that  have  become 
passe.  There  you  will  see  the  most  expensive 
carriage  ever  built  by  any  king  or  monarch,  which  it 
takes  some  eight  horses  to  draw.  It  never  was  used 
but  three  times.  Versailles  is  the  first  place  to  visit 
outside  of  Paris. 

Fontainebleau,  thirty-four  miles  south-west  from 
the  city,  comes  next.  There  you  will  find  another 
palace  and  a  wonderful  forest  of  over  forty  thousand 
acres.  The  cheapest  and  best  way  to  get  an  idea 
of  the  city  of  Paris  or  London  is  to  hire  a  guide,  and 
then  take  to  the  tops  of  the  tramways  and  buses, 
fare  two  pennies.  By  making  a  few  changes,  you 
can  go  in  all  directions,  and  your  guide,  if  a  good 
one,  will  be  continually  calling  your  attention  to 
things  of  interest ;  and  it  also  gives  you  an  idea  of 
the  broad  acres  these  cities  have  flung  their  arms 
around  and  appropriated  to  their  use. 

Having  spent  several  days  here  in  Paris,  we  might 
as  well  pack  our  grips,  and  go  through  to  London. 
This  is  about  ten  hours'  ride.  You  can  go  by  the 
way  of  Dover,  where  it  takes  but  little  over  an 
hour  to  cross  the  English  Channel,  which  is  a  terror 
to  all  seasick  people,  or  you  can  go  by  the  way 
of  Newhaven,  and  be  on  the  channel  some  three 
hours.  But,  in  looking  over  our  tickets,  I  find 
we  are  to  go  by  the  way  of  Newhaven.     You  can 


l8o  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

leave  at  9  a.m.  or  9  p.m.,  the  latter  taking  you 
through  in  the  night,  getting  breakfast  the  next 
morning  in  London.  The  former  way  you  take  in 
the  whole  thing  by  daylight,  excepting  on  the  chan- 
nel. There,  if  you  are  a  good  sailor,  you  are  all 
right.  Otherwise  you  are  more  likely  to  let  out  than 
take  in.  However,  it  makes  but  little  difference. 
After  the  ten  hours  you  will  find  yourself  in  the 
largest  city  in  the  world  ;  and  you  will  find  no  place 
more  convenient  and  central  than  Hotel  Metropole, 
near  Trafalgar  Square,  where  stands  the  statue  of 
Nelson  on  a  very  high  pedestal. 

Around  this  square  are  clustered  some  of  the  best 
hotels  in  London.  The  Metropole  accommodates 
seven  hundred  people,  and  is  always  full.  Here 
every  man  must  have  a  silk  hat ;  and  the  ladies 
in  the  evening  are  walking  fashion  plates,  with  a 
sprinkling  of  diamonds  thrown  in. 

It  will  interest  you  to  watch  the  head  porter,  a 
large,  fine-looking  fellow,  dressed  in  uniform,  from 
8.30  to  9.30,  as  he  sends  the  gentlemen  and  ladies 
away  from  the  hotel,  mostly  to  the  theatres.  The 
hansoms  and  four-wheelers,  as  they  call  them,  fill 
the  square.  The  porter  has  a  whistle, —  one  whistle 
for  hansom,  two  for  a  four-wheeler.  The  drivers 
respond  instantly  to  the  call.  You  tell  the  porter 
what  you  want,  and  you  will  be  packed  into  your 
carriage  and  sent  on  your  way  to  your  destination 
before  you  have  time  to  think  about  it.  He  told 
me  he  had  frequently  shipped  three  hundred  in  an 
hour. 

I  think  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  take  our  trip 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  i8i 

into  Scotland,  and  on  our  return  finish  up  London 
the  last  thing  before  sailing  for  New  York.  The 
train  we  want  leaves  Euston  Station  at  lo  a.m.,  due 
in  Edinburgh  at  6.30,  a  run  of  four  hundred  and  forty 
miles  in  eight  and  one-half  hours.  It  makes  four 
stops,  besides  stopping  twenty  minutes  for  lunch  at 
Preston.  So  any  school-boy  can  figure  out  about 
how  fast  we  have  got  to  run.  When  the  steam  is  on, 
the  word  ''hustle"  does  not  express  it.  We  just 
went  Hying,  and  had  to  average  about  one  mile  a 
minute ;  and  some  of  the  way  they  claim  to  run 
seventy  miles  an  hour. 

We  soon  left  London  at  our  backs,  passing  through 
Bletchley,  Rugby,  Stafford,  Crewe,  Preston,  etc., 
going  through  the  north  of  England.  This  is  an  old 
country  and  under  thorough  cultivation,  with  its  old 
English  oaks,  beeches,  etc.,  and  much  fine  scenery. 

After  two  hours'  run,  we  find  we  are  passing  over 
and  among  the  great  coal  fields  ;  and  we  begin  to  see 
at  our  right  and  left  the  tall  chimneys  rolling  out 
their  dense  volumes  of  smoke,  and  we  soon  learn 
that  the  great  marts  of  manufacturing  have  located 
in  this  region.  Off  at  our  right  is  Manchester  with 
her  great  cotton  mills.  Beyond  are  Huddersfield  and 
Leeds,  turning  out  the  fine  woollens.  In  another 
direction  is  Birmingham,  with  her  great  iron-works. 
Farther  on  we  see  at  our  left  a  beautiful  valley ;  and 
we  learn  on  inquiry  that  it  is  Windermere,  or  what  is 
called  the  English  Lakes,  and  is  a  fine  resort  of 
much  gayety  and  a  great  place  for  coaching. 

At  4.30  we  found  ourselves  at  Carlisle.  When 
we  leave  there,  we  enter  Scotland,  and  the  picture 


15  2  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

changes.  We  find  ourselves  in  a  farming  country, 
and  everything  looks  charming :  the  small  white 
cottages,  neat  and  tidy,  and  from  appearance  love 
reigns  within ;  even  the  dogs  in  the  front  yard  smile 
when  we  go  by,  the  chickens  flap  their  wings  for 
joy;  the  cattle  in  the  field  are  sleek  and  lazy,  either 
clipping  the  green  grass  or  chewing  their  cuds  with 
composure ;  the  horses  are  willing  and  strong,  as 
they  put  their  shoulders  into  the  collars,  and  draw  in 
the  large  loads  of  grain  and  new-mown  hay. 

You  will  be  delighted  with  the  laddies  and  lassies 
of  Scotland.  The  latter  can  grace  the  parlor  or  per- 
form the  duties  of  the  kitchen,  and,  if  necessity  de- 
mands, can  help  their  brothers  in  the  field.  It  will 
do  you  good  to  look  at  them.  The  rose  and  peach 
have  left  their  impress  on  their  cheeks.  The  lass  is 
one  of  those  artless,  light-hearted  girls  that  think 
it  is  no  harm  to  be  kissed  when  coming  through 
the  rye ;  and,  if  I  were  one  of  the  laddies,  I  should 
miss  no  opportunity  in  walking  through  the  rye  with 
her. 

The  laddie  soldiers  are  very  attractive,  with  their 
caps  with  drooping  plumage,  white  waists  and  leg- 
gings and  the  Highland  plaid  skirt,  and  a  sash  of 
the  same  material  coming  around  under  the  left  arm 
and  up  on  to  the  right  shoulder,  where  it  is  fast- 
ened, then  hanging  down  about  to  the  knee.  This, 
with  ruddy,  fresh,  healthy  countenance,  makes  a  fine 
picture ;  and,  if  I  were  an  artist,  and  wished  to  copy 
manhood  in  its  fulness,  I  would  certainly  go  to  Scot- 
land. 

But  you  see  I  have  been  loitering  by  the  way,  and 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  183 

have  said  many  things  that  might  have  been  deferred 
until  we  reached  Edinburgh,  where  we  arrived  about 
on  time,  and  took  carriages  for  the  Royal  Hotel  on 
Prince  Street,  which  is  one  of  the  main  streets  of  the 
city  and  the  hotel  one  of  the  best. 

Here  we  found  Carnegie,  who  is  the  great  iron  king 
of  America,  and  wife.  He  has  done  much  for  Edin- 
burgh. We  saw  one  public  building  into  which  he 
had  put  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Sotne  think  Edinburgh  the  finest  city  in  Europe. 
While  I  do  not  care  to  risk  my  judgment  or  reputation 
in  the  matter,  yet  I  am  willing  to  say  that  we  were 
delighted  with  the  place  and  its  suburbs. 

Lord  Lytton  has  said  that  it  is  a  divine  pleasure 
to  admire,  and  that  there  are  but  few  cities  in 
Europe  where  the  faculties  of  admiration  can  be  so 
cultivated  as  in  the  grand  old  capital  of  Scotland. 
Whether  it  be  antiquarian,  romantic,  picturesque,  or 
scholarly,  whatever  is  sought  for,  the  tourist  will 
find  plenty  of  food  in  Edinburgh. 

The  city  of  itself  has  a  population  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty-six  thousand.  While  it  is  a  seaport 
town,  it  seems  to  be  dropped  down  upon  the  High- 
lands of  Scotland,  and  has  its  ups  and  downs,  and  is 
very  picturesque. 

The  first  thing  to  attract  your  attention  as  you 
enter  the  city  is  the  castle.  This  is  a  summit  of 
rock  some  four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  top  has  a  space  of  seven  acres,  and  is  a 
military  fortress.  It  reminds  one  of  the  Acropolis 
of  Athens.  This  place  was  used  as  a  stronghold 
long   before  the   authentic  records  of    Scottish  his- 


184  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

tory ;  but  none  of  the  present  buildings,  with  the 
exception  of  the  little  Norman  chapel  of  Queen  Mar- 
garet, date  farther  back  than  the  fifteenth  century. 
At  one  time  it  had  a  tower  on  it  sixty  feet  high, 
called  the  tower  of  David  II.,  erected  about  the  year 
1370. 

In  1573  the  gallant  Kirkcaldy  held  the  fortress  for 
Queen  Mary  when  it  was  attacked  by  Sir  William 
Drury,  who  had  five  batteries  playing  on  one  point 
nine  days,  and  David's  tower  was  battered  com- 
pletely down,  so  that  egress  or  ingress  was  impossi- 
ble ;  and  after  thirty-three  days  the  gallant  Kirkcaldy 
surrendered,  and  had  to  be  let  down,  he  and  his  men, 
with  ropes. 

To-day  the  Highland  laddies  have  their  quarters 
there. 

Calton  Hill,  farther  north  on  a  line  with  Prince 
Street,  with  an  elevation  of  three  hundred  and  forty 
feet  above  the  sea,  is  another  place  of  interest.  On 
this  is  Dugald  Stewart's  monument  and  the  royal 
observatory. 

Here  your  curiosity  will  be  excited  when  you  see 
twelve  stone  columns  forming  the  end  of  a  building, 
looking  like  the  Parthenon  at  Athens.  You  will 
ask  some  of  the  Scotch  boys  or  girls  that  are  playing 
about  there  the  name  of  the  structure,  and  they  will 
say  it  is  Edinburgh  Folly.  On  further  investiga- 
tion we  found  that  George  IV.  in  1822  com- 
menced a  monument  to  the  Scotchmen  that  had 
fallen  in  the  land  and  sea  battles  of  Napoleon's  time, 
and  erected  these  twelve  pillars  at  a  cost  of  one 
thousand  pounds   each,   when   the  funds   gave   out ; 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  185 

and  there  it  stands  as  a  curiosity  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

The 'finest  thing  on  this  elevation  is  Nelson's 
monument,  in  circular  form,  one  hundred  and  two 
feet  high,  with  winding  staircase  inside,  and  battle- 
mented  summit,  erected  in  181 5.  On  the  flag-staff 
a  huge  ball  is  rigged,  and  is  moved  by  mechanism 
adjusted  to  the  observatory,  that  drops  daily  at  one 
o'clock,  Greenwich  time,  and  communicates  with 
and  discharges  instantaneously  a  gun  at  the  castle. 
You  can  pay  threepence,  and  go  to  the  top  of  this 
monument,  if  you  wish. 

Scotland  owes  much  to  Sir  Walter  Scott.  His 
Highland  chief  and  other  works  have  thrown  a 
beautiful  picture  of  Scotland  broadcast  to  the  world, 
and  have  attracted  many  tourists  to  the  land  so  much 
admired  by  the  great  author. 

In  front  of  the  Royal  Hotel  stands  a  beautiful 
monument,  about  two  hundred  feet  high,  costing 
some  seventy-five  thousand  dollars,  its  cruciform, 
Gothic  spire  supported  on  four  early  English  arches, 
which  serve  as  a  canopy  for  the  marble  statue  of  Sir 
Walter  as  he  sits  there  upon  a  granite  pedestal,  with 
a  book  in  his  hand,  and  beside  him  lies  his  favorite 
dog,  Maida.  In  the  niches  above  the  several  arches 
are  a  great  number  of  statuettes  of  leading  characters 
of  Scott's  works,  and  there  are  many  medallion  like- 
nesses of  national  poets. 

I  think  the  symmetry  and  beauty  of  this  monu- 
ment are  wonderful.  Every  time  I  saw  it  I  stopped 
and  admired  its  beauty.  The  architect  was  a  self- 
taught  genius  by  the  name  of  George  Meikle  Kemp, 


1 86  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

who  was  accidentally  drowned  in  the  Union  Canal 
before  this  work  was  fully  completed. 

A  little  west  of  this  monument  is  a  bronze  statue 
of  Adam  Black,  Lord  Provost  and  M.P.  for  the  city, 
who  was  publisher  of  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica. 

East,  there  are  many  other  statues,  those  of  Liv- 
ingstone, Christopher  North,  Allan  Ramsay,  and 
Professor  Simpson.  These  are  all  located  in  Prince 
Street  Gardens,  a  beautiful  place  for  a  ramble  at  twi- 
light, which  at  this  season  of  the  year  in  Edinburgh 
comes  at  a  late  hour.  The  chickens  here  retire 
about  ten  in  the  evening ;  and  the  mother  can  begin 
to  scratch  for  them  as  early  as  three  in  the  morning, 
if  she  wishes  to  do  so.  There  are  virtually  only 
some  four  hours  of  darkness.  In  the  winter  this  is 
reversed.  Daylight  is  dealt  out  in  small  doses,  dark- 
ness in  quantity.  The  only  objection  to  Edinburgh 
is  that  it  is  too  near  Norway,  but  I  suppose  our 
Scotch  cousins  think  that  what  they  lose  in  winter 
they  make  up  in  the  summer. 

Burns,  the  poet,  spent  much  of  his  time  here.  It 
was  also  the  home  of  John  Knox,  the  great  reformer. 
In  the  old  part  of  the  city  you  will  see  the  house 
where  he  wrote  the  History  of  the  Reformation.  This 
is  where  he  escaped  the  bullet  of  an  assassin  when 
it  struck  the  candlestick  before  him,  while  he  was 
sitting  in  meditation.  It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the 
oldest  houses  in  the  city.  Knox  died  in  this  house 
in  1572,  age  sixty-seven.  You  will  be  shown  a  bal- 
cony where  he  used  to  stand  and  address  the  peo- 
ple. Near  by  the  balcony  are  inscribed  in  Roman 
letters  the  first  and  second  great  commandments. 


PARIS    TO    SCOTLAND  187 

In  Parliament  Square  you  will  see  a  small  surface 
bronze  stone  in  the  ground,  with  the  initials  J.  K. 
Here,  Nov.  26,  1572,  was  placed  all  that  was  mortal 
of  John  Knox.  The  nobles  and  citizens  were 
gathered  there  at  that  time,  and  Regent  Morton 
pronounced  over  him  a  memorable  eulogium,  in  which 
he  used  these  words :  "  Here  will  rest  the  ashes  of 
him  who  never  feared  the  face  of  any  man." 
Courage  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Scotch 
people,     John  Knox  no  doubt  had  his  share. 

The  Mercat  Cross,  in  one  of  the  squares  of  Edin- 
burgh, with  its  history,  is  worthy  of  your  attention. 
It  is  as  old  as  Edinburgh  itself.  It  was  destroyed 
in  1577;  but  in  1885,  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Gladstone,  it  was  restored,  and  around  it  to-day  are 
clustered  the  memories  of  perilous  days.  Here  the 
citizens  celebrated  the  accessions  of  all  the  Jameses, 
the  blue  blanket  was  unfurled,  at  the  sound  of  the 
bells  of  St.  Giles  the  burghers  gathered  to  fight  the 
English  or  to  defend  the  town  from  hostile  inroads. 
It  was  the  place  where  the  crier  stood  to  pro- 
claim the  laws  or  sale  of  goods.  James  VI.  and 
Charles  I.  endeavored  here  to  impose  laws  which 
Scotland  refused  to  obey.  Charles  II.  followed  in 
the  same  foolish  way,  and  many  victims  of  the 
persecuting  times  came  to  a  martyr's  crown  at  the 
cross. 

The  Holyrood  Palace  and  chapel  and  Parliament 
Building  are  places  of  interest ;  but  one  of  the  largest 
buildings  in  Scotland  is  the  Museum  of  Art  and 
Science,  four  hundred  feet  long,  two  hundred  feet 
wide,  ninety  feet    high,  lighted    in    the    evening  by 


105  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

horizontal  rods  in  the  roof,  studded  with  gas-burners. 
The  number  of  jets  is  five  thousand. 

You,  no  doubt,  would  enjoy  staying  longer  in 
Edinburgh ;  but  the  wheels  of  time  are  moving 
rapidly,  and  we  will  take  the  train  to-morrow  morn- 
ing for  Melrose.  About  one  and  a  half  hours'  ride 
will  give  us  a  delightful  day. 


SCOTLAND    TO    AMERICA. 

Melrose  is  one  of  the  delightful  spots  of  Scotland ; 
for  I  believe  that  Sir  Walter  Scott  worshipped  the 
o-od  of  nature,  and  his  heart  was  full  when  he  rev- 
elled  in  the  beautiful  scenery  around  Melrose.  On 
arrival  we  will  visit  Melrose  Abbey  first.  This  is 
the  ruin  of  an  old  church  or  convent. 

They  will  show  you  the  stone  on  which  Sir  Walter 
used  to  sit  in  meditation.  Many  of  the  rich  and 
beautiful  thoughts  found  in  his  works  might  have 
originated  here. 

After  looking  over  this  historical  relic,  we  will 
engage  a  jolly  Scotchman  with  his  carriage  to  drive 
us  to  Abbotsford,  some  two  and  one-half  miles,  the 
home  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  Here  you  leave  your 
carriage  in  the  main  road,  take  a  pathway  that  leads 
down  into  a  beautiful  dell  embowered  with  trees,  and 
you  soon  see  the  home  of  Scott ;  and  you  will  decide 
that  the  architect  had  a  mind  of  his  own,  and  has 
reared  a  building  with  some  oddities,  yet  which,  with 
its  towers,  angles,  and  surroundings,  is  a  thing  of 
beauty. 

A  little  west  of  the  house  is  the  meandering  brook 
with  its  silver  stream  as  it  goes  rippling  and  singing 
its  way  onward.  It  is  said  that  this  little  stream 
gave  this  noted  Scotchman  a  great  deal  of  enjoy- 
ment as  he  listened  to  its  music  wafted  by  the 
breeze  to  his  library  and  study  rooms  where  he  spent 
so  much  of  his  time. 


190  VERMONT    TO    DAMASCUS 

The  place  is  owned  by  Sir  Walter  Scott's  grand- 
daughter, and  is  kept  just  as  he  left  it,  and  must  be 
yielding  her  a  good  return,  as  every  one  that  enters 
pays  an  English  shilling  for  the  privilege.  You  will 
find  a  very  pleasant  young  lady  there  that  will  show 
you  through  the  house,  giving  all  the  information 
wished  for ;  and  it  is  a  perfect  museum  of  itself, 
filled  with  relics  presented  to  the  great  author  by 
kings,  princes,  and  nobles. 

Here  you  can  look  over  his  library  of  twenty 
thousand  volumes,  here  you  see  his  chair  and  desk 
just  as  he  left  them,  also  the  last  suit  of  clothes  he 
wore,  with  his  white  stove-pipe  hat,  Scotch  plaid 
trowsers,  shoes,  say  No.  8,  but  with  more  breadth 
than  length. 

The  swords  and  implements  of  war  seem  to  have  a 
large  share  in  the  exhibition.  Whether  this  was  Sir 
Walter's  taste  or  the  taste  of  his  friends  that  pre- 
sented them,  I  am  not  able  to  say,  but  am  of  the 
impression  that  the  rod  and  gun,  with  his  favorite 
dog,  Maida,  and  in  company  with  his  Highland  chief, 
Rob  Roy,  spending  his  leisure  hours  among  the  hills 
and  valleys  of  Loch  Katrine  and  Loch  Lomond,  is 
where  Sir  Walter  found  his  enjoyment  and  recrea- 
tion, and  relief  from  hours  of  toil.  Not  only  that, 
but  in  these  simple  amusements  he  found  the  inspi- 
ration that  is  seen  in  his  works  that  we  are  enjoying 
to-day. 

After  drinking  our  fill  of  the  scenes  and  surround- 
ings of  a  lifetime,  we  will  retrace  our  steps  to  the 
place  where  we  left  our  carriage,  and  return  to  Mel- 
rose. We  then  drive  to  Dryburgh,  some  four  miles, 
where  rest  the  ashes  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  and  family. 


SCOTLAND    TO    AMERICA  191 

After  three-quarters  of  an  hour's  drive  you  will 
halt  on  the  bank  of  a  small  river,  where  you  find  a 
suspension  foot-bridge.  You  cross  this,  turn  to 
your  right,  and  a  walk  of  twenty  minutes,  and  you 
will  find  yourself  in  a  meandering  pathway,  with  the 
beautiful  trees  of  Scotland  all  about  you.  You  will 
say  at  once  that  this  is  a  retreat  for  lovers ;  and  you 
soon  come  to  the  ruins  of  an  old  abbey,  in  which  is 
the  tomb  of  Sir  Walter  and  others. 

The  keeper  of  the  place  will  tell  you  that  Scott 
used  to  spend  hours  in  this  retreat  with  his  wife, 
when  she  was  his  best  girl ;  and  no  doubt  it  became 
one  of  the  dearest  spots  on  earth  to  him,  and  was 
probably  the  reason  why  his  earth's  journey  was 
ended  here. 

As  the  sun  seems  to  be  dropping  down  in  the 
western  sky,  we  will  return  to  Melrose  and  take  the 
train  for  Edinburgh,  where  we  spend  the  night,  and 
take  an  early  start  in  the  morning,  June  28,  for  Glas- 
gow, going  through  the  Trossachs.  The  train  leaves 
about  eight  in  the  morning.  So  we  have  time  for 
breakfast,  and  bid  our  cousins  at  Edinburgh  good- 
by,  and  receive  a  cordial  invitation  to  come  again, 
to  which  our  hearts  say  Yea  and  Amen. 

Our  train  is  soon  sweeping  us  through  the  beau- 
tiful scenery  of  Scotland.  We  go  through  Sterling, 
a  place  of  beauty,  with  its  ruined  castle,  where  we 
might  spend  a  day  with  profit ;  but  time  is  limited, 
and  we  pass  on  to  where  we  leave  the  train  at  Cal- 
lander, taking  coaches  for  Loch  Katrine,  some  half- 
mile  or  more  this  side  of  the  boat  landing.  We  stop 
at  the  charming   Hotel  Trossachs  for   lunch;   and, 


192  VERMOiVT    TO    DAMASCUS 

if  you  have  the  time,  it  will  pay  you  to  stop  over 
a  day. 

Good  fishing  is  near  at  hand,  the  scenery  delight- 
ful, the  hotel  the  personification  of  neatness,  the 
cuisine  excellent.  But  our  coach  is  ready,  and  we 
bid  good-by  to  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  in  Scot- 
land, and  go  to  the  landing,  where  we  find  "  Rob 
Roy  "  waiting  for  us. 

This  is  a  nice  little  skipper,  and  will  carry  some 
seventy-five  persons,  if  necessary,  and  is  a  much 
better  boat  in  fair  than  foul  weather.  But  we  were 
fortunate,  it  being  one  of  June's  bright,  charming 
days  ;  and  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage  bell. 

Probably  Loch  Katrine  and  her  surroundings  were 
never  more  charming  in  appearance  than  this  day 
that  we  saw  her.  If  you  are  expecting  to  see  high 
and  rugged  mountains  along  her  shores,  you  will  be 
disappointed.  The  highest  elevation  is  only  little 
more  than  a  thousand  feet. 

This,  to  a  New  Englander,  is  rather  a  tame  affair; 
but,  like  Lake  George,  the  scenery  fills  your  soul 
with  admiration.  The  shores  are  not  abrupt,  but 
gradually  recede,  with  foliage  to  the  top  of  the  hills ; 
and  in  many  places  the  slopes  are  so  gradual  that 
the  Highlanders  have  their  dwellings  near  the  shore, 
with  their  fields  and  flocks  climbing  back  upon  the 
mountains. 

There  seems  to  be  a  great  variety  of  trees  and 
foliage  upon  these  mountains,  which  give  different 
shades  of  coloring.  This,  as  you  go  sailing  down  the 
lake,  passing  Ellen  Isle  and  Silver  Strand,  will  give 
you  a  charming  picture.     "  Rob  Roy  "  is  about  one 


SCOTLAND     TO    AMERICA  '93 

and   one-half  hours    in   reaching    Stronach    Lochar 
Tar   the   lower   end   of    the   lake,   where    we   find 
caches  to  take  us  to  Inversnaid,  where  we  take  a 
larger  steamer  on  the  waters  of  Loch  Lomoncl 

Loch   Katrine   was  the  little   sister  with  her  co- 
quettish  beauty.     Loeh  Lomond  is  -^^^^^ 
dignified,  but  comely  in  appearance.     At  Inversnaid 
t^ere  is  ;  fine  hotel ;  but  we  had  satisfied  the  n.ne 
nln  at  the  Hotel  Trossachs.     Therefore,   we  spent 

r  time  in  admiring  the  beauties  of  Inversna.d  and 
surroundings,  which  is  near  the  upper  end  of  Loch 

^^rL'me  forty-five  minutes   after   our  arrival   by 
coach  we  find  ourselves  on  board  of  a  very  comfort, 
able  steamer,  with  her  prow  headed  down  the  lake 
commencing  a  three  hours'  ride  for  the  lower  end  of 
theTake,  wlere  we  take  a  car-ride  of  twenty  mdes 

'\?:eTursued  our  journey,  we  found  the  lake 
somewhat  narrow,  giving  us  ^-utif.d  scenery  on  our 
right;  and  on  our  left  we  passed  Rob  Roy  s  cave 
a^?o  his  prison  where  he  held  his  victmis  untd  h 
cured  ransom  money.  You  will  see  at  our  lef 
where  the  city  of  Glasgow  has  tunnelled  under  the 
mountains,  and  taken  their  supply  of  water,  a  d.s 
tance  of  thirty-four  miles,  costing  millions 

Oueen  Victoria  attended  the  opening  of  this  great 
enterprise.     Farther  on  Ben  Lomond  looms  up  to  a 
he  ^ht  of  over  three  thousand  feet,  and  is  the  Moun 
Washington  of  that  region.     Birch,  ash.  oak    and  m 
„.any  places  the  heather  cover  the  sides  of  the   hi 
and  mountains  with  charming  effect.     As  we  pass 


194  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

on  the  last  hour  of  our  sail,  Loch  Lomond  is  much 
wider  and  filled  with  beautiful  islands.  About  four 
o'clock  we  tie  up  at  the  pier,  and  take  a  train  for 
Glasgow,  reaching  our  hotel  at  half-past  five. 

June  27,  Thursday  morning,  we  start  out  to  inves- 
tigate Glasgow,  a  city  of  five  hundred  thousand  in- 
habitants, with  suburbs  of  nearly  another  half  mill- 
ion. The  Clyde  passes  through  the  city.  This 
river  is  the  promoter  of  Glasgow,  or,  if  you  prefer, 
you  can  call  Glasgow  the  offspring  of  the  Clyde. 

It  is  the  great  ship-building  port  of  the  world. 
The  river  is  not  wide,  but  is  deep,  so  they  can  slide 
in  the  largest  boats  that  plough  the  ocean,  and 
steam  them  down  into  the  Atlantic.  We  will  now 
step  on  board  a  small  steamer  that  plies  up  and  down 
the  Clyde,  and  go  down  the  river  some  five  miles. 
On  your  right  and  left  the  staging  poles  and  masts 
look  like  a  forest ;  and,  when  you  hear  the  clanging 
of  hammers  and  chisels  upon  the  heavy  steel  plates 
as  they  are  being  fitted,  you  will  decide  at  once  that 
the  man  that  can  make  the  most  noise  is  the  best 
fellow,  and  that  every  man's  effort  is  crowned  with 
success. 

We  pass  the  yard  where  they  have  been  and  are 
building  yachts  that  have  competed,  and  are  to  con- 
tinue to  compete,  for  the  national  cup.  We  also 
pass  the  abattoir  where  they  butcher  nothing  but 
American  cattle. 

Before  they  turned  the  prow  of  the  steamer  up  the 
river,  they  pointed  out  to  us  the  town  of  Paisley, 
where  the  famous  Paisley  shawls  originated  ;  but  the 
day  of  that  article  has  gone  by,  and  they  are  making 
other  goods  now. 


SCOTLAND     TO    AMERICA  195 

But  what  will  surprise  you  in  taking  this  trip  is 
the  hundreds  of  acres  of  ship-yards  on  the  banks  of 
the  Clyde.  This  has  brought  in  an  immense  amount 
of  money,  and  made  Glasgow  what  she  is  to-day,  the 
great  manufacturing  city  of  Scotland. 

The  sewerage  of  the  city  empties  into  the  Clyde, 
and  the  impurities  are  making  them  trouble ;  and 
they  are  devising  ways  to  take  care  of  it  elsewhere, 
which  will  be  a  blessing  to  those  that  are  on  or  near 
the  ri*ver. 

We  enjoyed  our  stay  in  Glasgow,  though  it  was  a 
short  one,  leaving  in  the  afternoon  for  Manchester, 
where  we  spent  the  night,  going  through  to  London 
the  next  day,  feeling  that  our  trip  to  Scotland  was  a 
decided  success, 

Saturday  night  found  us  nicely  located  and  every- 
thing in  running  order  at  the  Hotel  Metropole  in 
London. 

Sunday  we  go  to  hear  Joseph  Parker  preach  his 
twenty-fifth  anniversary  sermon,  also  to  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  to  hear  Canon  Farrar.  There  it  was 
Flower  Sunday,  and  children  took  part  in  the  ser- 
vices, and  everything  was  in  keeping  with  the 
flowery  kingdom.  Monday  morning  we  will  put  in 
an  appearance  there  again,  as  you  will  find  it  an  im- 
mense building  and  a  perfect  burying-ground  of 
itself ;  and  whoever  preaches  there  preaches  to  the 
dead  and  the  living, —  which  class  is  the  best  lis- 
teners is  a  question. 

The  crypt  is  full  of  dead  men's  bones;  and^the 
main  part  is  the  last  resting-place  of  many  heroes, 
princes,  and  nobles.     You  will  see  many  inscriptions 


196  VERMONT   TO  DAMASCUS 

speaking  of  their  honors  and  gallant  deeds.  One 
of  the  honored  ones  fell  at  Ticonderoga.  Perhaps 
Ethan  Allen  could  give  us  the  circumstances. 
Westminster  Abbey  is  old  and  honored,  and  is  one 
of  the  great  attractions  of  London. 

From  here  you  had  better  go  to  St.  Paul's  cathe- 
dral. There  is  the  last  resting-place  of  the  late 
General  Gordon.  Many  a  noted  man  in  silent  man- 
ner will  speak  to  you  there,  and  you  will  be  in- 
terested in  hunting  for  the  heroes   of  olden  times. 

The  architecture  of  this  building  is  grand.  You 
can  revel  in  churches  in  London  any  length  of  time 
if  your  taste  runs  that  way. 

But  you  may  weary  of  these  things ;  and  we  will 
take  up  temporal  and  material  things,  and  go  to  the 
Bank  of  England,  the  great  financial  institution  of 
London.  There  you  will  see  them  dropping  the 
bags  of  gold  into  strong  boxes,  strapped  with  iron, 
then  lifted  with  blocks  and  pulleys  to  a  platform, 
where  they  are  shipped  to  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth.  They  informed  us  that  the  week  before 
they  had  shipped  twenty-five  million  to  France. 
They  seem  to  be  doing  business  on  a  large  scale. 
You  will  see  every  day  late  in  the  afternoon  one 
hundred  or  more  soldiers  marching  from  the  bar- 
racks to  the  bank,  and  they  remain  in  and  on  top  of 
the  building  through  the  night. 

From  here  you  can  go  to  the  Thames.  This  will 
give  you  an  idea  of  the  manufacturing  of  London, 
which  is  located  on  the  banks  of  this  river. 

Then  go  some  eight  miles  up  the  Thames,  and 
you  reach   Hampton  Court,  where  you  can  visit  the 


ONE    OF    "THE    BEEF    EATERS. 


SCOTLAND     TO    AMERICA  197 

palace  with  all  its  fine  paintings,  and  see  the  regal 
splendor  of  the  kings,  see  one  of  the  largest  grape- 
vines in  the  world  with  its  twenty-five  hundred 
bunches  of  grapes  to  tempt  your  palate,  also  a  wis- 
taria of  about  the  same  proportion. 

From  there  take  a  carriage,  and  drive  through  the 
two-thousand-acre  park,  strewn  with  English  oaks 
and  beeches  and  a  variety  of  trees  with  beautiful 
deer  seen  in  all  directions.  In  going  through  this 
park/  you  will  visit  the  mammoth  conservatories, 
with  tropical  plants  and  flowers  in  great  variety. 

You  can  return  to  your  hotel  by  rail  or  boat,  as 
you  may  choose.  You  are  probably  weary,  as  all 
sight-seers  usually  are  when  the  shades  of  eve  close 
in  upon  them. 

We  shall  want  to  go  to  the  Tower  and  prison,  and 
see  the  relics  and  implements  of  execution  and  tort- 
ure of  olden  times. 

In  that  section  of  London  you  see  the  beef-eaters, 
with  their  pleated  bell-topped  hats  and  peculiar  dress. 
These  are  the  old  retired  soldiers,  and  it  is  consid- 
ered quite  an  honor  for  the  queen  to  send  one  of 
these  men  with  you  on  any  expedition. 

The  British  Museum  is  extensive,  filled  with 
sketches,  Indian  relics,  etc..  The  historical  take 
the   lead. 

But  if  you  wish  for  the  beautiful  in  painting  and 
sculpture,  productions  of  the  great  artists,  then  go 
to  Kensington  Museum,  which  is  some  twenty  min- 
utes from  Trafalgar  Square  by  bus  or  hansom. 
The  latter  are  charming  to  ride  in.  They  all  have 
rubber  tires ;  and  you  hear  nothing  but  the  horses' 


19S  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

feet  as  they  go  clipping  over  the  pavement,  which  is 
usually  of  excellent  quality. 

A  trip  to  Windsor  Castle  will  be  in  order.  A 
drive  to  Hyde  Park,  and  take  in  on  our  way  Prince 
Albert's  monument,  which  was,  from  appearance, 
patterned  after  Sir  Walter  Scott's  at  Edinburgh, 
perhaps  a  little  more  elaborate,  but  of  the  same  gen- 
eral appearance.  Prince  Albert  sitting  there  in  his 
royal  apparel  and  gold  lace  is  more  attractive  than 
Scott  with  his  Highland  plaid  trousers  and  coat  to 
match.  But  Sir  Walter  may  live  as  long  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  as  the  other  man. 

Next  let  us  look  at  the  London  Bridge  across  the 
Thames,  where  the  poet  stood  at  midnight,  when 
the  clock  was  striking  the  hour,  and  the  moon  shone 
over  the  city,  etc. 

The  Houses  of  Parliament  were  erected  in  1840 
from  a  plan  by  Sir  Charles  Barry,  which  was  selected 
from  ninety-seven  sent  in  for  competition.  Of  Gothic 
style,  it  covers  an  area  of  eight  acres,  contains  eleven 
courts,  one  hundred  staircases,  and  eleven  hundred 
apartments,  and  cost  ;^3,ooo,ooo.  It  is  situated  on 
the  Thames,  and  the  basement  is  said  to  be  lower 
than  the  river  at  high  water.  The  Clock  Tower,  at 
the  north  end  next  to  Westminster  Bridge,  is  three 
hundred  and  eighteen  feet  high,  the  Middle  Tower  is 
three  hundred  feet  high,  and  the  south-west,  Victoria 
Tower,  the  largest  of  the  three,  through  which  the 
queen  enters  when  opening  Parliament,  attains  a 
height  of  three  hundred  and  forty  feet.  This  build- 
ing carries  an  immense  clock,  with  faces  twenty- 
three  feet  in  diameter.     It  takes  five  hours  to  wind 


SCOTLAND     TO    AMERICA  199 

up  the  Striking  parts,  A  light  in  the  Clock  Tower 
by  night  and  the  royal  standard  flying  on  Victoria 
Tower  by  day  indicate  that  Parliament  is  in  session. 

In  the  Clock  Tower  is  one  of  the  largest  bells 
known,  which  is  called  "Big  Ben."  It  weighs  thir- 
teen tons,  and  can  be  heard  all  over  London.  The 
inside  of  this  building  is  rich  and  imposing,  and  one 
can  have  the  privilege  of  passing  through  it  on 
Saturdays  from  ten  to  four.  You  enter  on  the  west 
side, -by  a  door  adjacent  to  Victoria  Tower.  Police- 
men are  stationed  in  every  room  ;  and  they  hurry 
you  through,  merely  giving  a  chance  for  a  glimpse 
at  the  regal  splendor  as  you  pass  along.  As  you 
enter,  you  pass  through  the  Norman  Porch,  or  hall. 
Turning  to  the  right,  you  enter  the  queen's  robing- 
room,  forty-five  feet  long,  beautifully  decorated,  and 
containing  beautiful  paintings,  the  state  chair,  etc., 
which  will  stir  the  admiration  of  every  one.  Next 
comes  the  Royal  or  Victoria  Gallery,  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  long.  Through  this  room  the  queen 
proceeds  as  she  goes  from  the  robing-room  in  sol- 
emn procession  to  the  House  of  Peers  to  open  Par- 
liament. 

On  leaving  this  gallery,  you  enter  the  prince's 
chamber,  a  smaller  apartment,  but  of  simple  mag- 
nificence, being  decorated  with  dark  wood,  for  which 
the  Middle  Ages  were  famous. 

Here  the  stained-glass  windows  exhibit  the  rose, 
thistle,  and  shamrock,  emblems  of  England,  Scot- 
land, and  Ireland.  From  here  you  can  enter  the 
House  of  Peers,  which  is  ninety  feet  by  forty-five, 
and  forty-five  feet  high.     The  floor  is  largely  occu- 


2  00  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

pied  with  long  leather-covered  benches,  sufficient  to 
seat  five  hundred  and  fifty  members. 

In  this  room  is  the  throne,  covered  with  its  richly- 
gilded  canopy.  Here  also  you  will  see  twelve 
stained-glass  windows,  containing  the  portraits  of 
the  kings  and  queens  of  England  since  the  Conquest. 
At  night  the  house  is  lighted  from  outside  through 
these  windows. 

This  room,  with  its  throne  and  paraphernalia  for 
the  kings,  queens,  and  lords  of  the  nation,  is  superior 
to  the  House  of  Commons,  which  you  will  pass 
through  before  leaving  the  building.  The  central 
hall  will  attract  your  attention.  It  is  in  the  centre 
of  the  building,  octagonal  in  shape,  sixty  feet  in 
diameter,  and  seventy-five  feet  high,  and  richly  deco- 
rated. Here  you  will  see  Venetian  mosaics,  and 
glass  mosaic  finishing,  and  fittings  in  keeping  with 
the  nation  it  represents. 

From  here  you  can  go  to  Westminster  Hall, 
where  you  can  leave  the  building  with  a  feeling  that 
you  have  walked  the  floor  that  has  been  trodden  by 
mental  giants,  lords,  kings,  and  queens  of  the  land. 

We  have  enjoyed  our  trip  to  Scotland  and  our 
stay  in  London  much  more  than  we  expected,  but 
our  friends  in  Vermont  are  waiting  our  arrival ;  and 
we  will  take  passage  on  the  *'  Lahn  "  July  3,  leaving 
London  at  10  a.m.,  with  a  run  of  two  hours  to 
Southampton,  where  we  are  put  on  to  a  lighter  and 
run  out  into  the  bay,  and  transferred  to  our  steamer 
of  the  German  Lloyd  line,  not  as  large  as  the 
*'Normannia,"  that  took  us  out  on  our  tour,  but  a 
boat  we  like  quite  as  well. 


SCOTLAND     TO    AMERICA  201 

The  English  Channel  was  remarkably  civil  to  us, 
letting  us  out  on  to  the  broad  ocean  without  stirring 
up  any  bad  blood  or  anything  else  unpleasant. 

The  next  day,  the  Fourth,  was,  of  course,  a  mem- 
orable day  to  every  American  ;  and,  from  the  general 
appearance  of  the  passengers,  many  were  from  that 
land. 

While  our  captain  and  crew  were  Germans,  they 
were  remarkably  civil  and  mindful  of  the  Americans. 

In  the  morning  we  found  the  dining-room  deco- 
rated with  the  stars  and  stripes.  The  band  through 
the  day  played  the  national  airs.  At  6  p.m.  we  had 
a  course  dinner.  On  the  menu  was  illuminated  ice 
cream,  U.S.A.  Near  the  close  of  the  feast  the 
curtains  were  drawn  at  the  windows,  the  electric 
lights  were  turned  off,  and  in  came  the  stewards  and 
the  waiters  holding  a  receptacle  or  platter  up  as 
high  as  their  heads,  with  an  inverted  glass  dish  on 
it  with  a  light  inside.  Around  this  sat  little  Dutch- 
men, Yankees,  and  Japanese  made  of  ice-cream, 
holding  little  flags  of  the  stars  and  stripes,  little 
umbrellas,  etc.  The  marching  was  up  and  down, 
back  and  forth  among  the  tables,  until  the  waiters 
had  covered  the  whole  hall.  Of  course,  we  Amer- 
icans saw  the  point,  and  cheered  them  lustily.  It 
was  certainly  a  unique  celebration  to  every  one. 

We  had  only  two  days  of  rough  sailing,  with 
racks  on  the  tables  ;  half  day  and  night  of  fog,  when 
we  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  the  music  of 
the  fog-horn  ;  encountered  no  icebergs,  and  only  one 
whale.  He  saluted  us  by  throwing  water  some 
twenty  feet  into  the  air,  and  then  went  on  his  way, 


2  02  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

and  we  did  ours.  On  the  whole,  it  was  a  very  sat- 
isfactory passage,  sailing  July  3,  reaching  quarantine 
in  the  evening  of  the  loth,  landing  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  nth,  being  five  months,  less  two 
days,  from  the  time  the  **  Normannia  "  swung  from 
her  pier  and  headed  her  prow  down  North  River, 
with  the  Oriental  party  on  board  with  high  expec- 
tations, which  have  been  more  than  realized,  being: 
watched  over  by  a  kind  Providence,  giving  a  joy- 
ful experience  and  safe  return  to  our  native  heath, 
stronger,  truer  Americans  than  ever. 


USEFUL  HINTS  FOR  TRAVELLERS 


Those  who  have  never  crossed  the  ocean  and 
travelled  in  foreign  countries  would,  no  doubt,  like 
a  short  chapter  with  a  few  suggestions  as  to  prepara- 
tion^ for  the  journey  and  what  to  do  after  you  weigh 
anchor.  First  as  to  luggage  and  clothing :  unless 
you  have  friends  and  acquaintances  among  the  royal 
blood  in  the  old  country,  you  had  better  leave  laces, 
frills,  and  fine  jewelry  at  home  ;  for  you  will  probably 
not  have  a  chance  to  go  on  dress  parade  until  you 
return  to  America.  Take  strong,  servicable  cloth- 
ing, with  easy  fitting  and  strong  foot-gear. 

You  should  prepare  for  the  heat  and  cold.  This 
can  be  done  largely  with  underclothing,  and  this 
will  enable  you  to  bring  your  baggage  into  a  small 
compass  and  light  weight.  Fifty-six  pounds  m  the 
old  country  is  about  the  amount  that  goes  through 
without  extra  charge.  Then  the  custom-house  offi- 
cers are  always  suspicious  of  large  trunks,  and  will 
give  the  owners  of  such  more  or  less  annoyance. 
A  fair  amount  of  linen  is  desirable,  though  there  is 
no  trouble  in  getting  washing  done  in  almost  any 
city  you  may  stop  in.  Celluloid  collars  and  cuffs  for 
gentlemen  are  a  fine  thing,  as  they  can  be  cleaned 
at  any  time,  and  will  reduce  the  washing  bill. 

Follow  the  above,  and  you  will  have  no  trouble  in 
arranging  your  wardrobe.     I  am  indebted  to  a  lady 


2  04  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

for  the  following  suggestions  in  regard  to  articles 
most  needed.  A  serge  or  similar  dress  of  wool  is 
suitable  for  ocean  and  ordinary  travel,  the  skirt  made 
of  short  walking  length.  The  present  fashion  of 
skirt  and  fancy  waists  seems  to  supply  a  variety 
of  costumes  for  all  seasons  without  increasing  the 
baggage  much,  one  black  silk  answering  where  more 
dress  is  required ;  and,  with  a  few  fresh  laces  and 
ribbons,  one  can  make  quite  a  smart  appearance. 
For  the  donkey  riding  in  Egypt,  a  mohair  dress 
would  be  desirable,  as  it  easily  sheds  dust.  If  partly 
worn,  it  will  be  good  enough.  A  common  divided 
skirt  or  equestrian  tights  or  both  are  quite  desirable  ; 
a  straw  hat,  with  a  sash  (called  a  puggery)  of  light 
silk  or  lawn  fastened  around  it,  falling  in  the  back  to 
protect  the  back  of  the  head  and  neck  from  the 
sun ;  also  a  large,  light  gauze  veil  to  protect  the 
face  from  the  dust  and  flies. 

A  white  parasol  or  small  umbrella  lined  with  green 
is  almost  a  necessity,  and  can  be  easily  carried  while 
riding.  Carry  several  pairs  of  partly  worn  kid 
gloves.  This  costume  will  be  equally  suitable  for 
horseback  riding  through  Palestine,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  a  water-proof  and  rubbers.  The  white  para- 
sol is  a  good  protection  from  the  sudden  showers 
which  often  greet  one  in  passing  over  the  mountains 
of  Lebanon.  Do  not  fail  to  have  an  unlined  flannel 
wrapper,  which  can  be  worn  over  the  ordinary  night 
clothing.  It  is  necessary  for  the  camping,  and  will 
be  found  very  comfortable  in  most  hotels  and  on  the 
steamers. 

The    common    crocheted   slippers    should  also  be 


USEFUL   HINTS  FOR    TRAVELLERS  205 

a  part  of  the  wardrobe ;  for  throughout  Syria  the 
floors  are  mostly  of  stone  or  cement,  and  sometimes 
there  are  no  rugs. 

A  yard  of  common  white  lace  will  be  found  very 
desirable  as  a  screen  from  flies,  etc.,  if  one  would 
take  a  nap  in  comfort  on  the  Nile. 

The  great  bugbear  is  seasickness,  which  is  the  old- 
est and  yet  the  most  modern  disease  we  know  any- 
thing about.  Its  symptoms,  effects,  and  results  are 
probably  the  same  now  as  they  were  when  Jonah 
shipped  from  Jaffa  to  Tarshish.  Jonah  was  not  a 
sailor;  and,  when  the  ocean  became  so  rough,  he  no 
doubt  was  seasick  in  his  bunk,  and  did  not  care  a 
picayune  whether  they  threw  him  overboard  or  not. 
It  seems  that  the  whale  that  swallowed  him  caught 
the  disease,  and  threw  up  Jonah  after  three  days, — 
the  only  case  of  contagion  we  know  of.  The  stom- 
ach seems  to  be  the  troublesome  member ;  and,  if 
you  could  leave  it  at  home  or  put  it  in  your  trunk, 
there  would  be  but  little  trouble  in  crossing  the 
ocean. 

The  number  of  remedies  is  great ;  and,  whichever 
one  you  take,  you  are  liable  to  wish  you  had  taken 
the  other.  Drinking  mineral  water  with  lemon  in  it 
a  few  days  before  sailing  is  said  to  be  a  preventive. 
Put  a  capsicum  plaster  on  the  pit  of  the  stomach  the 
day  you  sail.  This  I  believe  to  be  as  good  a  remedy 
as  can  be  found.  Bromide  of  soda  is  another  pana- 
cea, and  no  doubt  a  good  one.  You  had  better  take 
with  you  a  rubber  hot-water  bottle  and  a  small  med- 
icine chest,  with  laxatives,  astringents,  remedies  for 
colds    and   fever   attacks, —  these   not  especially  for 


2o6  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

the  ocean  voyage,  but  to  have  with  you  in  all  your 
travels.  However,  the  best  remedy  is,  take  care  of 
yourself,  and  make  up  your  mind  that  you  are  not 
going  to  be  sick,  certainly  so  when  on  the  ocean. 
Stay  on  deck,  pay  but  little  attention  to  the  sea, 
whether  smooth  or  rough,  be  indifferent  as  possible 
to  that  part  of  your  surroundings ;  and,  if  you  have 
to  feed  the  fishes,  go  to  the  leeward  side  of  the  boat, 
and  not  to  the  windward.  If  you  find  the  waves  are 
getting  the  upper  hand  of  you,  then  take  to  your 
berth,  and  keep  on  your  back  until  the  sea  becomes 
smooth. 

Occasionally  you  will  find  persons  that  have  to 
stay  in  their  berth  the  whole  sea  voyage,  but  these 
are  rare  cases.  The  crews  that  man  our  ocean 
steamers  are,  as  a  rule,  very  polite  and  attentive,  and 
of  course  expect  to  receive  tips,  which  should  not  be 
given  until  the  last  day.  Common  fees  are  as  fol- 
lows :  bedroom  steward,  $2  ;  two  table  waiters, 
$\.2^  each;  the  stewardess,  ^i,  unless  you  have 
to  call  on  her  often,  then  pay  according  to  services 
rendered;  deck  steward,  $i,  unless  you  need  extra 
attention,  then  you  will  desire  to  give  him  more. 

You  had  better  secure  your  steamer  chair,  if  you 
wish  for  any,  as  soon  as  you  go  aboard,  rental  ^i 
each.  If  they  have  a  band,  as  they  probably  will, 
you  will  be  asked  to  contribute  for  that.  As  to  the 
amount,  you  will  be  governed  by  the  ear  for  music 
you  may  have.  So  you  see  it  will  be  an  easy  matter 
to  get  rid  of  eight  or  ten  dollars,  although  there  is 
no  compulsion  in  any  of  these  tips ;  but  a  person 
who  wishes  ta  take  a  foreign  trip  and  get  along  with- 


USEFUL    HINTS    FOR     TRAVELLERS  207 

out  tips  bad  better  wear  a  coat  of  mail,  and  expect 
to  receive  the  anathema  of  all  the  waiters  of  a  for- 
eign land.  Tips  in  the  Old  World  are  the  custom. 
The  waiters  work  for  low  wages  or  none  at  all  ;  and, 
if  they  are  polite  and  attentive,  I  enjoy  seeing  them 
have  a  few  loose  shillings  about  them  when  I  bid 
them  good-by.  Cook  &  Sons  and  Henry  Gaze  & 
Sons  are  the  two  old  established  firms  of  tourist 
agents  in  the  old  country,  and  are  very  reliable  firms. 
Raytnond  &  Whitcomb  have  recently  commenced 
tours  abroad.  Their  service  in  this  country  has  been 
excellent,  none  better  to  travel  with.  These  firms 
usually  charge  about  $10  2l  day,  but  you  are  relieved 
of  all  care  and  anxiety.  A  small  party  can  go  inde- 
pendently, and  hire  their  guide  when  and  wherever 
they  may  need  one,  as  they  can  be  found  in  any 
country,  price  from  two  to  four  dollars  per  day. 
This  divided  among  six  or  eight  amounts  to  but  a 
trifle.  In  that  way  a  party  can  travel  for  six  or 
seven  dollars  per  day ;  and  you  can  be  quite  inde- 
pendent, stay  as  long  or  as  short  a  time  in  a  place  as 
you  please.  If  you  have  some  in  your  party  that 
can  speak  French  or  German,  it  will  help  you  won- 
derfully. Have  your  passport,  and  with  your  letter 
of  credit  you  can  get  English  or  French  gold,  which 
is  good  in  any  country. 

The  money  of  the  country  you  are  in  you  should 
get  rid  of  before  leaving  that  country  to  enter  an- 
other. If  there  is  no  other  way,  and  you  have 
your  wife  with  you,  hand  it  to  her ;  for  she  will  very 
quickly  find  curiosities  and  articles  you  will  like  to 
bring  home  with  you,  which  will  soon  clean  out  the 


2o8  VERMONT   TO   DAMASCUS 

loose  change  you  may  have  about  you.  Heavy  over- 
coats for  gentlemen  taking  a  sea  voyage  are  the 
things  to  have,  and  fur  cloaks  and  steamer  rugs  for 
ladies.  Below  you  will  find  the  denominations  of 
money  of  different  countries,  giving  their  value  in 
American  coin,  which  will  be  well  for  any  one  to 
study  that  is  going  into  those  countries.  Many 
people  are  exceedingly  afraid  of  drinking  the  water 
in  a  foreign  land.  There  may  be  those  that  enjoy  that 
delusion  for  the  sake  of  an  excuse  to  drink  wine  and 
beer;  but  there  are  many  that  would  prefer  the 
water  if  it  could  be  taken  with  safety ;  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  it  can  be,  certainly  in  a  hilly  country. 
Use  your  own  judgment  in  the  matter.  When  you 
think  there  is  danger,  drink  tea  or  coffee  or  water 
that  has  been  boiled ;  and  your  countenance  will  be 
more  charming  than  it  would  have  been,  had  you 
confined  yourself  to  the  wine  and  beer  of  the  land. 
Regarding  hotel  carriages,  drives,  donkey  rides,  etc., 
always  make  your  contracts  beforehand. 


USEFUL   HINTS   FOR    TRAVELLERS 


209 


German  coin. 

Carolin 

Groschen  (^V  thaler) 
Heller  (i  pfennig)  . 
Kreutzer  (gV  mark) 
Krone  (10  marks)  . 
Mark  (100  pfennigs) 
Thaler  (3  marks)      . 


U.S.  coin.  Turkish  coin. 

$4.92  Asper  {j\-Q  piastre)  . 

.02I  Beshlik  (5  piastres) 

.00^  Lira  (100  piastres)    . 

.oof  Medjidie  (20  piastres) 

2.38  Piastre 

.24^  Pm-se  (500  piastres) 

,7ii  Shereefee    .... 


U.S.  coin. 


$0.21 
4.40 


.04 

2173 
:27.oo 


English  coin. 
Pound  (20  shillings) 
Crown  (5  shillings)  . 
Florin  (2  shillings)  . 
Guinea  (21  shillings) 
Penny  (j^  shilling)  . 
Shilling  (12  pence)  . 


U. 


S.  coin. 

$4-85 
1. 21 
.48^ 

.02 
.24 


Italian  coin. 
Marengo  (20  francs) 
Scudo  (5  lire)  .     .     . 
Lire  ([oo  centimes) 
Soldo  (^V  ^'^e)      •     • 
Testone       .     .     .     • 


U.S.  coin. 
$3.86 
97 

01 


French  coin.  U.S.  coin. 

j3L  £ranc)    ...       .02 

Franc ^9^ 

Sou  (Jo  fi-anc) 01 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 


Travel 

G440 
.B76 
1895 


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